The Twin
by lalala777
Summary: When there's a twin added to the equation of a witty sorcerer and a geeky apprentice, who knows what could go wrong? Troubled true love? Mistaken identities? Even for a star literary and physics student, things get complicated. Could end up a Balthazar OC
1. Chapter 1

Welcome!

This is my first story that's not a one-shot, so I'll need a lot of encouragement(Wink wink nudge nudge)

AN: I know it's short, but it's the prologue; those things are always short (At least in my world) I also probably mixed some scenes around (Only saw the movie twice) but hopefully everything will happen, one way or another. One more thing before I shut up and let you read my crappy story: I have absolutely nothing against Veronica, I personally think they make a great couple. However, this idea is the worst at getting itself completely glued into my brain.

Summary: When there's a twin added to the equation of a witty sorcerer and a geeky apprentice, who knows what could go wrong? Troubled true love? Mistaken identities? Even for a star literary and physics student, things get complicated. Could end up a Balthazar OC

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sorcerer's Apprentice! *shoots plasma bolt out window* but I unfortunately own that window *sigh*

**The Twin**

**Prologue**

The war between sorcerers had been fought in the shadows of history. The balance had always been held up by the great and powerful Merlin. In AD 740, Merlin had three apprentices: Balthazar, Veronica, and Horvath. He should have trusted only two.

Horvath joined forces with Merlin's most deadly enemy, Morgana Le Faye. Morgana, searching for magic's most dangerous spell, called _The Rising_, mortally wounded Merlin before Balthazar and Veronica could stop her. Morgana attempted to kill Balthazar, but was stopped by Veronica, who drew Morgana's soul into her own body. But Morgana began to kill her from the inside.

To save Veronica's life, and to trap Morgana, Balthazar captured them both in the Grimhold, an inescapable prison.

As Merlin lay dying, he gave his remaining apprentice his dragon ring and told him it would help him to find the Prime Merlinian, Merlin's successor.

"The Prime Merlinian is the only one who can defeat Morgana," Merlin gasped.

Balthazar nodded, then moved to stand.

"Wait!" Merlin whispered. "You will be rewarded for this quest."

"I ask for nothing but to serve you, Master," Balthazar humbly replied.

"You will find love, my apprentice, but"-he coughed- "not with your dear Veronica. I have foreseen it so."

"Thank you, Master, but-" Balthazar looked up, but Merlin was already gone.

Balthazar let out a single tear. The tear was for Merlin's death, Veronica's sacrifice, Horvath's betrayal, and for every single one of the people that had died that night. That one tear was the last one he would cry for over a thousand years.

Throughout history, Balthazar imprisoned many Morganians, and every one tried to set Morgana free. Eventually, he caught Horvath himself.

Balthazar searched tirelessly for the Prime Merlinian, until one day, in the year 1985, he felt an odd jolt in his chest, and he knew something big was coming.

SASASA

_May 5__th__, 1985, Sarasota, Florida; 7:07 PM, In a hospital_

White. All there was, was white.

Suddenly, the sound of a screaming baby permeated the colorless air.

First the boy, a perfect ten , came out wailing, blue eyes opening to take on the world. He was an amazingly cute child, bald and blue-eyed. He was also normal, excepting two things: the knowing expression in his eyes and a birthmark of a circle on his left hip.

As he rested in his mothers' arms, she said, "David", and the baby was swept away to be cleaned. The doctor went back to work.

Twenty minutes later, he pulled out a beautiful baby girl, another perfect ten. The adorable girl had a tuft of red hair matted to her head, and she was smiling.

But something was wrong.

The baby wasn't making a sound, and she had capricious marking on her right hip. It was the same birthmark as her brother, though hers was more apparent. Maybe it had been the amount of blood on the other child; this baby was barely bloody at all. The mark was a circle, inside which there was seven circles. The six circles on the outside had bizarre markings in them, each separated by a line that led to a singular circle in the middle: a plain one except in that it had one smaller circle inside of it.

The markings in the six surrounding circles seemed to be symbols: slash marks, connecting circles, and two signs that looked a lot like the number four.

When the baby's eyes opened a few seconds later, another odd thing was noticed; they were green. The most beautiful shade of green you'd ever seen, but still green.

"There is something wrong with your child, m'am," the doctor worriedly spoke to the mother. "She's not screaming, there's some sort of birthmark on her right hip, her eyes are the wrong color…"

But soon the problems were explained away, however shakily, and the healthy girl was deposited into her mother's arms.

"Isadora," she whispered softly.

The doctor gave her a curious look, but proceeded to write the name down. 'Odd name for an odd girl, I suppose,' he shrugged.

"My Isadora," the lady sighed, while the silent child stared unblinkingly into her mother's brown eyes.

SASASA

Four things:

1: If you didn't get what was on her hip…. You'll find out later! (But seriously, if you saw the movie, what was the circle with all the crazy markings in it?)

2: I know her name's weird, but there's a reason for it. (Even if it's just so I can give her the nickname Izzie and not use overused names like Isabel or Isabella)

3: I really don't know how babies are born these days; all the experience I have is watching Episode 3 in Star Wars.

4: Review!


	2. Of Love Notes, Dragon Rings, and Embarre

AN Note: I really didn't plan on getting the next chapter out until Saturday, but I got reviews right away, so I went and finished it up!

Thanks so, so muchness for the reviews, favorites, and story alerts!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own the Sorcerer's Apprentice, 'k?

**The Twin**

**Of Love Notes, Dragon Rings, and Embarrassing Accidents**

'_Merlin had three apprentices: Balthazar, Veronica, and Horvath.'_

The book Arthurian Magic was a good book, way too advanced for a ten year old. So it was something that Isadora Stutler, ten year old bookworm, was reading it.

For as long as she could remember, which was since her mother's death, she had read constantly. She loved reading about magic in particular. Her brother and she had been outcasts for a very long time, and it would be nice to have something special. Other than being the biggest nerds in the 6th grade, of course. They both even looked the part: Izzie with her lovely red hair always back in a frizzy ponytail, and Dave with his geeky glasses. In fact, the poor girl had an eye appointment the very next day.

Regrettably, her brother didn't believe in magic; he thought everything had a scientific explanation. She, although a science freak herself, thought it wasn't possible for everything to be explained. Some things just... happened. Like life.

When their mother died, they were left with a very sweet father, but he didn't really understand the twins quite like their mother did. Both the brother and sister had found quiet hobbies and engrossed themselves in the things they loved: Isadora with her history and myths, and Dave with his Telsa coils. Both Isadora and David had a natural talent for physics, and an odd luck that had the other children wary. It's true that children are more sensitive to peoples' characters than adults are.

Right now, the whole class was taking a absolutely boring field trip to the Statue of Liberty, which everyone on the bus had seen at least a million times.

Dave was rather evidently trying to impress a pretty girl named Becky, and Isadora was immersed in her book, trying desperately to translate the random spouts of Latin that kept coming up. Her only help were the context clues.

"Do _you_ think this is cool, Izzie?" Dave asked his sister about the King Kong he drew in the bus window.

"Yeah," she mumbled, not even looking up.

She knew he wouldn't listen to her answer, even though he just asked the question.

She was right, Dave wasn't paying attention to her answer; when it came to staring at Becky, it was like talking to a brick wall.

"So, _Isadora_, how's your book going? Is it hard to read so many pages? Let me help you out with that, nerd."

The school's prevalent bully, Michael Vanstorm, came up and ripped the book out of her hands. Many kids teased her because of her intelligence and even her name-though it would be hard to blame them-, but none as bad as this kid.

"Hey! Give that back, Michael! It's a library book!"

He hung the book out the window. "Oh really?"

"Mike, give the book back to Izzie!" Becky stood up.

Isadora stood there, her mouth open. Was Becky, the popular, pretty girl, actually defending her?

"Okay, Becky. But just for you," Michael sucked it up, wanting to impress Becky.

He gave the book to the attractive blonde, who in turn gave it to Izzie. Becky sat next to her. "You okay, Izzie? I can call you Izzie, right?"

"Sure, and yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for standing up for me," The redhead smiled shyly.

"No problem! Can I tell you something a little weird?" Becky asked, a little uneasily.

"Sure! What is it?" Isadora asked, becoming a little more outgoing.

"Well... I've always wanted to do your hair," the blonde admitted.

"I've never had anyone do my hair."

"Really? What about your mom?"

"My mom died when I was six," Isadora told her new friend softly.

Becky looked taken aback and regretful she even asked. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay. I'm pretty much over it now. So... can you do it?" Izzie changed the subject.

"Do what?" Becky asked, confused.

"My hair."

"Really?" Becky asked. She had always wanted to be friends with this girl. All the shallow girls she usually hung out with were mean and nasty, and Isadora always seemed like an honestly nice girl.

"Go for it," the redhead grinned, turning around.

Maybe she had finally found the friend she'd been looking for.

SASASA

_30 minutes later, Dave's point of view, more or less_

Dave had never ran so fast in his life.

He was chasing after the note Becky had written him; the note that had told him something so important he was dashing down streets that looked kind of questionable.

_Friend or girlfriend_

The note had just been sucked into a little shop that Dave really shouldn't have walked in, but he did.

The little slip of paper was nowhere to be found, but Dave was a very curious boy; so when he noticed the odd trinkets that filled the shop, he began looking around.

One thing led to another, and he bumped into a lamp. Bumping into the lamp started a chain reaction that almost broke a giant urn, but it was caught. Unfortunately, so was Dave.

Long, bejeweled fingers nimbly caught the urn just before it hit the ground. Dave followed the arm encased in a coat sleeve up to the scraggly gray-blonde hair of the owner. He finally had the guts to look the unknown man in the eye and peered into the green-blue irises.

They were beautiful eyes, Dave had to admit, but they were missing _the_ spark. They were missing the same spark that his dad had lost when his mom died. Isadora and Dave were still waiting for Alex Stutler to get his spark back.

This man was completely without the spark; it made Dave unintentionally begin to pity this stranger.

The man began to speak: "The second emperor of the Han dynasty locked his least favorite wife in this urn for fifteen years... to the day. They say you open it up, the same thing will happen to you."

Dave's sympathy was momentarily forgotten. "I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I-I'm looking for this note, have you seen it?" he started to ramble. "It kind of just blew into your store."

The man slowly stood the urn upright, turning slightly away from the ten year old.

"I-it was just a-"

"Coincidence," the man finished for him, his shoulders straightening up a little as he turned and gazed at Dave. Neither one of them moved.

"Yeah," Dave repeated, nodding his head furiously. "It was just a coincidence."

The man looked at him for a moment, then started walking towards the back of the store. "I have something I'd like to show you, Dave."

"How did you know my name was Dave?" the boy asked suspiciously.

"Because I can read minds!" he exclaimed. Dave gasped, stunned. "It's on your backpack."

Dave spun around, trying to see his name on the backpack. He didn't know that they even _put _names on backpacks.

"Come over here," the man ordered him.

Dave slowly walked to where the man was standing. The scraggily-looking man reached beneath his desk and pulled out a decrepit box. Opening the box, Dave saw a dragon with a long curling tail. "This is very special, and if it likes you, you can keep it," the man said, holding the dragon in his outstretched palm.

"I'd better not," Dave shook his head, backing away. "My teacher said I couldn't be gone for long; she knows I'm here," Dave lied.

"You're a bad liar, Dave," the man called him out. "That's good," he added on, almost encouragingly.

Dave, more than a little freaked out, turned and started for the door. Then the door creaked closed and slammed, and if Dave didn't know any better, he'd say it was by magic.

'Magic's not real, though,' he thought. 'Must've been the wind.' Still he couldn't help but let the words 'oh boy' escape him. He turned and walked back, noticing the man hadn't moved at all, the dragon still outstretched.

He took the bauble from the gentleman's hand, observing the fact that his weathered and rough hand was actually warm. The boy liked that. Dave's mother's hands had been warm; his father's weren't. He stared at the ring for a moment, when it moved. Dave gasped and noticed, from out of the corner of his eye, the man's eyes shot to his face, watching Dave's reaction. It was the first sign the boy had that this man actually _had_ emotions.

The dragon crawled up his hand and onto his index finger, where its tail looped around his finger a few times, making a ring of sorts.

"No way," Dave whispered, completely awed.

Dave heard the man swallow in... relief?

David looked up as he heard the man's footsteps. He walked around the desk and towards Dave slowly and practically reverently.

"I have been searching... a very long time," he spoke quietly, almost like he was talking to himself.

He kneeled in front of Dave, putting both of his bejeweled hands on the boy's shoulders.

"And magically, here you are," he said softly. "That ring on your finger means something, Dave. It means you're going to be a very important sorcerer one day. And your first lesson begins right now, with your very own Incantus."

The man pointed at him, as if he was about to explain something very simple but very significant. "Do not move, do not touch anything."

The man stood up and opened a nearby door. He went through it and down a flight of stairs into the basement.

Dave, still curious about this whole sorcerer thing, saw that moving the ring about did something to the wall. Suddenly a little doll popped out.

'I know what this is,' he thought. 'Izzie was talking about it a few days ago. She said it's Chinese. Speaking of Izzie, I've got to tell her about being a sorcerer! She'll go bananas!'

He picked up the doll and studied it. The picture on the front had a man on it that looked very angry. Suddenly, fire seemed to go through the doll and it cracked open. Dave dropped it.

Cockroaches began to crawl out of tiny crack, and they piled up rather quickly. It was, Dave admitted, very, _very_ gross. The shape of a person became visible, and he recognized the foul-looking man from the front of the doll.

"When am I?" the roach man asked in a considerably haughty voice.

"In New York City," Dave replied, but it sounded more like a question.

"Not where. The year," the man looked at him. "You're wasting my time," he enunciated each word carefully and unkindly, as if impatiently speaking to a toddler.

The cane, that the man was holding, began to glow faintly, but unexpectedly the roach man was on the ceiling. The cane was a maybe a foot or so away from him. Trying to figure out what had just happened, Dave looked around. He noticed the nice man was walking towards him with one hand outstretched towards the man on the ceiling and the other holding a very large and dusty book.

"What happened to don't touch anything?" the man questioned, not exactly angrily, but possibly disappointedly. Dave immediately felt bad for letting him down, for letting almost a complete stranger down.

"That's not very sporting of you, Balthazar," the roach man called from the ceiling.

The nice man, now associated with the very unusual and medieval sounding name Balthazar, spoke very harshly to the man on the ceiling, "Be quiet!" Then he shared with Dave, "It's not you, he's been like this for a thousand years. I'll explain later.

"I need the Grimhold. Where's that doll?" the sorcerer implored.

Dave pointed vehemently towards the Grimhold that was currently lying on the floor. Balthazar began to reach for it, but he was suddenly propelled backwards into the wall.

The rest of the fight was a blur to Dave; everyone was getting tossed around so quickly he didn't catch much of it.

Everything came back into focus when roach man started a huge fire and Balthazar was thrown inside it. It was obvious to Dave that the roach guy won, and was going to force him to give up the doll that Balthazar had so feverishly protected.

Suddenly Balthazar leaped out of the fire and tackled roach guy. Unfortunately, the urn was knocked open and Balthazar and the roach guy were sucked into it.

Dave listened tearfully to Balthazar's so called last words; this man, or sorcerer, was already important to him.

"Leave Dave! Leave now!" he shouted.

Dave ran out and threw the doll, which he had been holding close to his chest the entire time, into the street. He noticed the whole class and his teacher were already outside looking for him.

As Dave's classmates began to laugh at the water spilled on his pants, Dave could barely hear them. His sister ran forward, asking if he was okay, but he wasn't really paying attention. The same sentence played itself over and over again in Dave's very logical mind, a statement as sure as the ring he was now wearing on his finger. He was sure the humiliation was going to hit soon, but for now he only knew one thing:

'Magic _is_ real'

SASASASA

Ooo, Dave had an epiphany when he was ten years old… impressive.

Random fact: I actually met one of my best friends when she sat down next to me and said, 'I've always wanted to do your hair!'. Though I'm sure Isadora has prettier hair than I do! Lesson learned: When in doubt, always talk about hair… and maybe the weather.

Love, Lala


	3. Of Figurative Urns, Steel Eagles, and So

Ok, it's up!

I'm in the middle of the next chapter and I have a few essays due next week, so it could be another week before the next update, but I'll try my best!

Just thought I'd tell you guys, it's going to be at least two chapters before Izzie and Balthazar actually know they meet (You'll see what I mean when you read this) , so that's basically when the real plot is going to emerge. Hang tight!

Disclaimer: Don't own it! (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about)

**The Twin**

**Of Figurative Urns, Steel Eagles, and Sorcery 101**

_Fifteen years later... To the day_

David Stutler was having a good day.

First of all, his twin sister was coming in town for his birthday, and he hadn't seen her in over a year. When they had both gone off to college, her to Brown and him to NYU, he had felt like something was missing from his life. Plus, he had been wanting to show her his project on Tesla Coils for a while now, and now he finally had the chance to do so.

Second of all, he had run into the girl that he had had a crush on all the way back in fourth grade. She had been in the same class he was giving his physics presentation to, and it felt so weird to see her again after fifteen or so years. He and Isadora had transferred to another elementary school after his 'accident'. He had then walked the very attractive Becky Barnes to her radio station and fixed her satellite, hopefully impressing her. Though Becky seemed like a hard girl to impress, especially by a nerdy, freakish twenty-five year old like him.

Her infatuation with music had made him listen closer to the sounds coming from his coils. He had found something incredibly beautiful tonight, and it was all because of the blonde angel who he had reunited with when presenting to an lower physics class.

_Who knew Professor Heiderman would do me so much good one day?_

SASASASA

_Balthazar POV, more or less_

Balthazar was feeling the odd sensation of falling.

As he was getting pulled out of the literal urn he'd been stuck in for the past fifteen years, he realized he _was_ falling.

He barely had enough time to latch his fingers onto a window sill. Only seconds later, the sound of shattering porcelain filled his ears. 'I bet that least favorite wife is smiling down on me now,' he thought wryly.

Unfortunately, his ring-adorned hands weren't exactly strong enough, sorcerer or not, to hold onto window sills for long periods of time.

Luckily he was very close to the street, though it still hurt when he landed on the sidewalk with a loud thump.

He suddenly felt the sensation of pressure on his left side and heard another thump on his right, almost immediately followed by a groan of pain.

"I'm such a klutz!" he heard the lady, at least he thought it was a woman, say. Unless it was a man with a really high-pitched voice.

"Sorry sir! Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Fine," Balthazar replied, still with his face practically in the ground. He was too exhausted to be chivalrous and look the woman who had tripped over him in the eye.

He heard the girl's soft clinking footsteps as she stood and walked away.

'What an odd experience!' Balthazar thought. 'Well, I guess not as strange as being stuck in an urn for the past fifteen years.'

The sorcerer headed for the Chrysler Building, knowing his old pet was still there waiting for him.

_Slight POV change_

Isadora walked down the streets of New York, pondering over the stranger she had tripped over while texting her brother she had arrived.

She could've sworn she'd saw a giant eagle flying off in the distance.

SASASA

Dave's morning had taken a sudden turn for the worse.

Just as he'd been trying to get some breakfast, one of the two men he had never wanted to see again scared him out of his pants. The man had then began to talk about his fourth grade essay on Napoleon Bonaparte. He commenced in criticizing it; Dave had written it when he was nine, for God's sake! This guy was absolutely insane.

And now he was being chased by a bunch of hungry wolves.

Did he mention this was the _bad_ guy?

"Kill him," Dave heard the evil man say. He really needed to learn this guy's name.

He saw the wolves lunge towards him, and threw his hands up to protect his face. But what landed on him weren't wolves.

"Puppies?" Dave asked himself, confused.

He heard a grunt come from the roach man-hey, the nickname stuck- and looked up to see what caused it.

"Oh my..." Dave trailed off as he looked up at a giant, steel eagle.

It landed in the middle of the subway tracks and a man appeared on its back. "Where's the doll, Dave?" the man asked in a serious tone.

Dave remembered the guy's name to be Balthazar. He had thought a lot about the guy that had supposedly been a figment of his imagination that had also probably ruined his and his sister's lives. Guess he wasn't a hallucination after all.

Dave noticed the bad guy getting up and pointed at him. "Uh.. Him! Him! Him!" he repeated, hoping Balthazar would notice in time.

Balthazar turned and shot something at the roach man. Dave wasn't sure what it was but it made the cane with the blue stone on it unable to do anything; it looked a lot like water, a very gooey type of water.

Suddenly, Balthazar began shouting at him. "Alright, get up here! Now! _Now_! Hurry!"

Dave looked behind himself and jumped. The subway train was headed straight for them! Dave scrambled up onto the giant bird while Balthazar did something- probably useful; he was most likely trying to prevent the subway conductor to see the very improbable thing that was going on directly in front of him.

The bird took off and Dave looked back, watching the roach man barely have time to pull himself onto the waiting platform.

_'I wish he would've gotten hit by that thing.'_

SASASASA

The steel eagle landed with a bang.

Balthazar watched Dave hop down and lean on the rail.

"Oh, this is _not_ happening and I taste sour in my mouth," he groaned, looking about ready to throw up.

"Take it easy, Dave, deep breaths," he offered the boy while stroking the head of the eagle. He pushed it softly towards the railing as if to say, 'rest, you deserve it'. The eagle obediently settled back into its prior position.

"What?" Dave exclaimed, watching, like Balthazar, as the light from the originally steel eagle turned back on. "Aw, now that is not happening!"

Balthazar, just to freak Dave out a little more, picked up a pigeon with a hurt wing and began whispering soothingly to it.

"No, no, no, no you are not doing this to me again!"

Balthazar looked up at the boy.

"Do you have any idea what my life has been like for the last fifteen years?" Dave implored him.

"I've been stuck in an urn for the past fifteen years," Balthazar retorted, wrapping the pigeon's ankle up.

"So have I," Dave returned, desperately trying to think of a good comeback. "A figurative urn of... ridicule."

Balthazar could've laughed at that; it was a good thing he was wittier than the boy.

"Did you know that, in certain parts of the tri-state area, they still refer to having a nervous breakdown as pulling a David Stutler? Did you know that my sister had to go to _Brown University_ to get away from the... ridicule!"

This boy needed to get a more extensive vocabulary. Additionally, Balthazar didn't know the kid had a sister. "I didn't know you had a sister," the sorcerer commented, "much less a smart sister. Brown's a good college."

"Why thank yo- wait, you don't need to know I have a sister! What, are you going to go and stalk her too?" Dave accused protectively.

"Try to be a good listener, Dave," Balthazar admonished him.

Dave shrugged his arms and gave the sorcerer a look; at least now he was listening.

"That doll is called the Grimhold. It is a prison for the most dangerous Morganians in history, each one locked up in a layer of the doll. Horvath wants to free his fellow Morganians and destroy the world," Balthazar informed him.

Balthazar looked straight into Dave's eyes. "This... must... not... happen," he spoke very clearly and seriously, enunciating each word with a wave of his hand.

Dave nodded his head slowly, just staring at him. "Yeah," he agreed, "for sure."

The bird that had been resting in Balthazar's hands flew away as he stood up. "The truth is," Balthazar began, looking deep into Dave's eyes, "you have a very special gift. You need to see that."

"I just," Dave started, throwing his hands into the air, "want to be normal. Normal life... I want to forget about that day at Arcana Cabana... I want to forget about"-he paused for a few seconds, as if thinking of the proper word to use -"magic. I want to forget everything," he shouted, angrily turning away from Balthazar.

The sorcerer looked at the boy's back nearly sympathetically. "You should duck," he offered.

Dave looked up and, when he saw his dresser come shooting towards him, he dropped to his knees, putting hands up to cover his head. The dresser landed with a crash approximately five feet away from him.

"You want to forget magic?" Balthazar mocked him, opening the top drawer. He pulled out two heavy tomes.

"Then why do you have two books about it? One called Arthurian Legends and the other Sorcerers 101. And they're very, _very_ worn," Balthazar accused, dropping them into Dave's hands.

"I was going to sell those... on EBay..." Dave lied.

"You're still a bad liar, Dave," Balthazar retorted. "I like that about you," he added. "It's a good sign."

"You have the gift."

"I _have_ a life!" Dave returned.

"You're the last person Horvath saw with the Grimhold. That puts you on his list. So unless you want him to turn you into a pig that just _loves_ physics, then you better help me find that doll before he does!" Balthazar reasoned.

"This is crazy," Dave stuttered, walking over to put the books back in the dresser. "You know how crazy this is, right?"

"Alright," Balthazar started. "Alright... You help me get it back? You're done."

"Really?" Dave asked suspiciously.

"You can walk away," Balthazar answered. "But first, do you happen to have that ring I gave to you fifteen years ago? It's very important."

Dave looked kind of sheepish. "Uh.. You know that sister I mentioned? Yeah, well, I told her she could borrow it. She wanted to research it. She had some sort of feeling, she said, that it had to do with her current study."

"What's her current study?" Balthazar asked.

"King Arthur... the round table... Merlin and all that stuff."

"I wonder if she found what she was looking for?" Balthazar whispered under his breath. Louder, he said, "You need to get that ring back, but for now, I have a spare."

"You have a spare magical ring?" Dave repeated, cracking the first smile that Balthazar had actually seen from him.

"You never know," the sorcerer replied. He began to walk towards the steel eagle.

"One more thing, Balthazar," Dave called to him.

"Yes?"

"Can you please put my dresser back?"

Balthazar ignored him and jumped onto the eagle.

"Oh no... please don't do that!" Dave called, rushing after him. "What are you doing?"

Balthazar stretched out his arms and moved his hands in a 'come hither' motion.

The skies darkened and thunder rumbled over an area not too far from them.

"Whoa, what is that?" Dave asked.

"It's my Grimhold tracking device," Balthazar replied. "Biometric pressure spell displaces the atmosphere above the doll.

"Looks like downtown."

SASASASA

"If we can track the Grimhold, then so can Horvath," Balthazar informed Dave.

They were walking through a tunnel to where Balthazar said his car was parked. _Supposedly_, Balthazar actually had a working car.

"So why don't we just take the eagle?" Dave wondered.

"Too high profile for a trip downtown," Balthazar explained, handing his license-Dave had no idea _how_ Balthazar got _that_- to the guy who was watching over the pound.

As the man saw what car Balthazar was headed towards, he observed, "I have to call you a tow."

"Won't be necessary," Balthazar put his hand up.

"Yeah, but, this car has been impounded for, like, fifteen years," the man argued.

Dave was looking at a really, _really_ old car. He wasn't into cars so he didn't know what kind it was, but it looked like those cars you see in those musical 60s movies.

"And this is low profile," Dave could've laughed.

He watched as Balthazar just snapped his fingers and the decrepit car came to life. "She missed me," Balthazar cooed to the car.

'Okay,' Dave thought, a little bit freaked out by Balthazar's display. 'So he _really_ likes cars, like every other guy on this planet except me.'

As they drove out of the impound, Balthazar realized this boy had to be taught at least the fundamentals of sorcery or else he wouldn't be able to do any good at all. Horvath would just utterly take him out.

"I'm going to give you the basics, the _real _Sorcery 101," he started, referring to Dave's magic books. "Put on the ring," he commanded.

"Uhhh..." Dave began.

"Nothing's going to happen," Balthazar interrupted.

"Yeah?" Dave looked a little worried. He put on the ring.

Just to make fun of him, Balthazar, out of the blue, swerved the car to the right. Dave let out a girlish scream.

"Kidding," Balthazar said when Dave turned to look at him.

"You've heard how people use only ten percent of their brains? Sorcerers can manipulate matter because they are born with the capability to use the entire power of their brains. Which also explains why molecular physics comes so easily to you."

"So wait," Dave interrupted, "is sorcery science or magic?"

"Yes and yes," Balthazar replied. "For now, all you need is a basic combat spell: making fire." He paused for a minute, letting that sink in. "What causes molecules to heat up?"

"They vibrate," Dave answered.

"Everything we see is in a constant state of vibration, thus the illusion of solidity," Balthazar continued. "But how do we take that which appears solid and have it burst into flames? We _will_ the vibrations to go faster."

"Step one," Balthazar made a wiping motion with the hand not on the steering wheel, "clear your mind. Step two: see the molecules. Step three: make them shake."

Dave watched as the parking ticket a policeman was putting on the car next to them burst into flames. The officer desperately attempted to put it out.

"Got it?" Balthazar asked Dave.

"No! I definitely don't 'got it'!" Dave exclaimed.

"Trust the ring, Dave," Balthazar soothed. "And keep it subtle," he added, "civilians _must _not know magic exists; that would be complicated."

"Says the guy in the three-hundred and fifty year old raw-hide trench coat," Dave retorted.

"Now would be a good time to call your sister," Balthazar said, changing the subject.

SASASASA

Isadora was just about to call her brother about where she'd stay the night, when he called her.

"Hey Izzie?"

"Yeah? Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, do you still have that dragon ring I gave you a while ago?"

"Yes, I was going to give it back to you when I saw you. Hey, did you know that that ring was Merlin's about 1300 years ago? When he was dying, he gave it to his second apprentice, Balthazar, so he could find... someone. That's as far as the records got me."

Balthazar's head snapped towards the phone Dave was holding. The boy wasn't sure if he was meant to hear it, but he heard Balthazar mumble, "I didn't know there were that many records."

Dave placed his hand over the mouthpiece. "There probably weren't; my sister is a very determined person though."

"Dave? Do you know of any place I can spend the night?"

"Yeah, my lab has a extra bed; I've been sleeping there most of the time. Plus, I can't wait to show you my Tesla coils!"

"Definitely. Dave?

"What is it?"

"What's going on, Dave?"

"Really? How did you guess? You're as bad as Balthazar!"

"Who's Balthazar?"

_Oops_

"Izzie, if I tell you something very important and kind of unbelievable, would you not freak out?"

Balthazar looked at him sharply, eyes wide.

"Depends on how ludicrous it is."

"First, stop using big words you know I don't know; second, I'm a... magical being of some significant importance."

"You mean... a sorcerer?"

"Exactly! Look sis, I know this is hard to believe but-"

"It's okay, Dave, just prove it to me later. I'll be at your lab with the ring around five o'clock."

"Okay, see you then."

Dave snapped the phone shut and looked up at Balthazar.

"You do realize you just told her the most important secret of all time that I just said all civilians must _not_ know, right?" Balthazar informed him.

"But she's my sister, Balthazar," Dave pleaded. "Plus, if I hadn't told her, she would've found out anyways. She's kind of like you in that way."

"She sounds like she messes with you a lot," Balthazar commented.

"Yeah..."

"I like her already."

SASASASA

There's going to be a LOT of magical rings in this, so don't get confused. I had to make sure Isadora had the ring so I could bring her into the story!

Oh, and a I'll give anyone who guesses what part in here is from National Treasure a digital cookie and a line from the last chapter (Don't ask). PM me the answer.

Hint: Abigail meets Ben

Sorry, I had to do it!

Love, lala


	4. Of Chinatown, Sorcerer Practice, and a L

Hey!

Okay, I personally think this chapter is a little… rushed… but like you, I can't wait for Balthazar and Izzie to meet! So I apologize if this chapter feels odd to you, and if you guys have any suggestions to make it better, please tell me!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own it, probably never will… *epiphany* unless I could somehow learn to shoot a plasma bolt… *starts taking notes*

**The Twin**

**Of Mixed Reunions, Chinatown, and a Little Insanity **

The lanterns, the confetti... all defining of a district in New York called Chinatown.

It seemed like Balthazar and Dave had arrived in time for some sort of celebration; a giant paper dragon was walking through the streets and people were lined all up and down the sidewalk.

Balthazar was pushing his way through the crowd, very much in a hurry, making a path Dave could follow. The sorcerer walked up to a building, turning to Dave who practically ran into him.

"This is it," Balthazar announced. "I'll get the Grimhold; keep an eye out for Horvath."

Dave gave him an exasperated look that read, 'Well, what am I supposed to do if I find him?'

Balthazar ignored him and opened the door to the shop. He climbed up a flight of stairs and soon disappeared from sight.

Dave looked around, noticing a Chinese couple who had walked up to him. They were staring at him as if he was a Chinese version of Tom Cruise.

"Hi," he greeted awkwardly. They just kept gawking at him.

'_Great'_

SASASA

Balthazar trailed slowly down the eerie hallway.

He knew that the Grimhold was close, he could feel it. He followed the sensation until he was in front of a set of double doors. They were covered some markings that looked a lot like Chinese characters.

Walking inside the room, Balthazar saw a plethora of random baubles. He could've laughed. 'At least now I know why this person took the Grimhold.'

He stretched his hand out in front of him, closing his eyes and concentrating on the doll. Nothing, but it was close.

He walked over to a statue with long, silver needles stuck in it. Waving his hand over it, he still felt nothing. He was beginning to feel dejected.

"Can I help you?"

If Balthazar had been one or two centuries younger, he would've jumped at that. Luckily, all he did was inhale sharply, turning to face the person who retained the frail voice.

The owner was a little old Chinese woman with a cane. Something was off with this lady, yet Balthazar couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked kindly.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you," Balthazar presented. "I'm looking for a... well it's rather strange... It's a nesting doll?"

He held up his hands, gesticulating for effect.

"It's about this big, angry looking Chinese gentleman on the front..."

"Nesting doll..." she interrupted him, trailing off. "It's possible," she said brightly, "I collect so many objects..."

"Your hair is beautiful," Balthazar spoke in Cantonese.

"Ahhh," the lady started, turning, "you speak Mandarin."

Balthazar smiled and nodded at her, his suspicions confirmed.

He suddenly threw the woman against the door, clearly by magic. "That was Cantonese, Horvath."

The lady wiped her mouth, and in turn wiped off his disguise.

"The Grimhold, where is it?" Balthazar demanded.

"An old associate of mine speaks impeccable Cantonese," Horvath taunted, ignoring the question. "He lived about two hundred years ago. Know him, Sung Loc? Of course you do, you locked him inside the Grimhold." Horvath turned up the empty shell. "Whoops. Opened it."

Balthazar, realizing what was going on, barely had time to cover his head with his coat before tiny silver needles came shooting towards him. The sorcerer quickly recovered and sent a plasma bolt towards the Chinese Morganian standing directly behind him; it sent him flying out the window.

Dave jumped when he heard a crash, noticing a body lying on the street in front of him. "Hey- you alright?"

The man stood up, glaring at him through whited eyes.

_Crap... Why didn't I consider the fact that with my luck it would be an evil sorcerer?_

"What the..." Dave started, seeing the people around him begin to clap.

He slowly started clapping. "I'm like one of them," he told the sinister looking guy.

"Dave?" came a voice from above him. He looked up, noticing Balthazar standing in the broken window, staring right at him. The Chinese man followed his gaze.

"You should run."

Dave began to laugh, making the guy's permanent glare narrow on him. He decided to take Balthazar's advice.

Dave was gone.

While Dave was attempting to run, he realized everyone else was too. When he looked behind him, he saw why. There was a giant, live dragon right in the middle of the road.

Suddenly, he couldn't see. Everything was completely covered with confetti, and all Dave could think was:

'_Definitely Balthazar's doing.'_

Dave took off, running inside the nearest shop. The dragon was _very_ close behind. Dave knew that the creature was somehow connected to that Chinese guy that Balthazar had told him to run from, but he didn't know how to stop it.

SASASA

Balthazar, after making sure no mortal could see through the confetti, turned to face Horvath.

But he was gone.

Balthazar walked further into the room, feeling the presence of Horvath behind a bead curtain. As he pretended to look for the Morganian, he slowly made the beads from the walkway wrap around Horvath's neck. Not in a choking way, of course, but to hold him in place.

He heard a grunt from Horvath, and he made the strands of beads turn him around so that the old apprentices of Merlin were glaring straight at each other.

"Be still," Balthazar commanded.

The beads wrapped around Horvath's ankles, arms, and basically anywhere they could reach. Horvath's cane was pulled from his hands and held about two feet above him. Balthazar flipped his right hand up and the Grimhold landed in his palm. Shooting Horvath one last look, he turned towards the broken window... and jumped.

SASASA

Dave was not happy.

Of course, no sane person would be happy if a giant dragon controlled by an evil sorcerer was chasing them. Balthazar maybe, but Dave didn't think he was quite sane.

He was broken from his train of thought as the dragon burst through the wall and began to pursue him down the corridor. Dave screamed.

The only way out was a window at the end of the hallway, so Dave ran to it and tried to get it open. By the time he had, the dragon was right behind him.

He jumped through the window and onto a balcony. "Balthazar!" he shouted, hoping the sorcerer could hear him.

The confetti below him cleared, and instead of Balthazar, he saw the evil Chinese guy.

'I have the _worst_ luck'

The physics major held out his ring, hoping it would grow a mind of its own and _do_ something.

"C'mon," he told the ring, closing his eyes.

The confetti cleared again and Balthazar was standing there. Finally. Now he would kill it.

"You skipped the first step!"

Or not.

"Clear your mind," he called.

"First step," Dave whispered to himself.

Suddenly, fire came shooting towards him. He jumped onto the ladder going up to the next apartment, and watched as fire incinerated everything, including where he had just stood about three seconds ago. 'I should've known that the thing could breath fire,' he berated himself. Then he screamed again.

"Clear my mind?" he yelled exasperatedly at Balthazar. "Are you insane?"

Balthazar looked like he was thinking about it, then he seemed to come to a decision. He held up to fingers, positioning them close together, and smirked at the boy.

"Little bit," Dave concluded, calming down a little. Until the dragon came after him again.

The ugly creature suddenly poured out the window, breaking the outdoor stairway clean off. As it fell towards of the people below, Balthazar neatly changed it to confetti. He didn't want anyone to get hurt just because he was trying to teach his soon-to-be apprentice a lesson.

Dave scrambled up the platforms, the dragon chasing him. He was soon on the top, with nowhere to go and the dragon directly below him. 'I'm going to have to at least _try_ something with this ring,' he realized.

"This is it," Balthazar whispered soothingly, although he knew Dave couldn't hear him. "Clear your mind. Believe."

Dave closed his eyes and cleared his mind. The ring began to glow.

The ring shot a minuscule bolt out of it, but it hit its target.

The Chinese man's metal band around his waist.

The band caught on fire, then the dragon, but Dave knew it wouldn't quite be enough. As the dragon snapped at him, Dave closed his eyes, prepared for it to kill him.

Luckily, Balthazar sent a _huge_ fire bolt at Sung Loc, killing him instantly. With him, the dragon went down also.

Dave gave a wordless shout of joy. He noticed Balthazar looking up towards him, and he quieted instantly. The boy began to climb down.

Balthazar took out the Grimhold, staring down at the next Morganian: Abigail Williams. She who had started the Salem Witch Trials.

Balthazar glanced up when he saw Dave coming out of the building next to him.

"Oh! Do you see that?" the boy exclaimed. "Did you see what I just did?"

Balthazar tuned him out.

Two police cars came into sight. Some officers got out, and they walked straight towards Dave and Balthazar.

'Crap... Do they know we did it or something?'

Balthazar began to saunter towards two of them, and even though Dave thought he was crazy, he followed.

"Hey! What do you got? Did you see what happened here?" one of them called. Dave was guessing it was the Captain.

Dave looked to his older companion to answer, but Balthazar... wasn't Balthazar.

He was dressed up exactly like a cop, and as Dave looked down at himself, he noticed... so was he.

"You know what?" Balthazar started in a _really_ good fake accent. "Bottle rocket meets paper dragon in this Asian festival."

Dave completely tuned him out. 'I have a mustache!' he thought excitedly, bringing up a finger to smooth it out.

"Lit it up like a birthday cake," Balthazar finished his 'report'.

"We got swamped with calls saying there was a _real_ dragon," the officer leaned in a little bit.

Balthazar busted out laughing, and even Dave couldn't help but chuckle. He couldn't help it, laughing is contagious. It probably helped their story too.

"Between you and me, Cap, I think some of these folks were hitting the sake pretty hard," Balthazar said.

"Sake's Japanese, actually," Dave added, trying to sound cool. Everyone just looked at him, Balthazar rolling his eyes.

Dave pulled his hat down over his eyes and looked around, embarrassed. The officers just shook their heads and walked away with a: "Carry on."

"Sake's Japanese?" Balthazar asked, incredulous.

"Well, it is," Dave defended.

"I was in character," Balthazar explained.

"Oh... right."

Balthazar and Dave got into the car. Dave eagerly turned to face Balthazar with 'what are we going to do now?' on his lips. But Balthazar was completely stoic.

"You may now return the ring to me," he said, holding out his hand.

Dave looked indecisive. What if he actually gave Balthazar a chance?

"I'm a man of my word," Balthazar reminded him, "you helped me, we're done."

"Right, right," Dave repeated, staring at the spare ring. If he could do what he just did with an extra ring, he couldn't imagine what he could do with _Merlin's_ ring.

"I'd like to learn some more," he answered finally.

Balthazar smiled at Dave for the first time.

Unfortunately, Dave knew it wasn't an 'you're awesome, Dave' smile; it was a 'I'm about to kick your butt in sorcerer training, Dave' smile.

"We need a place to work," Balthazar mentioned, getting directly to business. "Somewhere under Horvath's radar."

"I think I can help with that."

SASASA

"This was originally a subway turnaround," Dave explained to Balthazar as they walked down a flight of stairs.

"They let me work down here because some of my experiments can get a bit… dangerous."

Balthazar looked around, nodding in approval.

"Oh," Dave sounded as if he had forgotten something important. "My professor has a hook-up so nobody knows we're down here."

Balthazar placed the Grimhold on the nearest table, making it invisible just in case.

Dave walked over to Balthazar. "Oh!" Balthazar exclaimed. "Didn't have a chance to give you this before..." he pulled a miniature book out from his pocket. "Your Incantus," he presented.

"I remember it being bigger," Dave commented, but it sounded more like a question.

"Pocket edition," Balthazar explained. Dave nodded his head, thinking, 'I didn't know they _made_ pocket editions over a thousand years ago.'

"The Incantus is our textbook," Balthazar started as he began to _unfold_ the book. Dave just stared at him in awe.

"The art... and science... and history of sorcery," Balthazar said, still unfolding the book. It was about the size of a good-sized pillow by now. "Including our recent history as well."

Balthazar held out the practically flat, stretched-out book and Dave took it.

Just as Dave was about to comment on how it wasn't that bad, Balthazar tapped it lightly, suddenly making it about fifty times thicker and about seventy-five times heavier. Dave almost collapsed under the weight.

The book opened to a page with four people on it. Two, Dave recognized as Horvath and Sung Loc. The one at the top was an awesome painting of Balthazar, looking completely badass. At the bottom was a picture of Dave himself.

"See? There you are," Balthazar smiled, probably at the fact Dave had possibly the worst picture _ever_ in this book.

Dave walked over and set the volume on the nearest table, taking off his jacket.

"Before we can put Horvath back inside the Grimhold, we must first turn you into a sorcerer," Balthazar told him, also taking off a few layers of clothing; the room temperature was actually pretty hot.

"Unfortunately, we can't do much until your sister brings that ring, but I'll do my best to keep you occupied."

"I'm sure you will," Dave said under his breath.

"Step back," Balthazar ordered, magically pushing everything in his way out of the middle of the room.

"I really was doing stuff-"

"Eyes open," Balthazar interrupted, bringing Dave to a halt as he walked towards Balthazar. Dave began to say something. "Mouth closed."

Balthazar slowly raised his arms into the air, closing his eyes and feeling his power. The lights blinked out. The tips of his fingers touched as he brought his hands to his chest. Suddenly, he pushed down and up, bringing green fire with him. The fire shot up in a circular shape.

Dave practically screamed, jumping back about three feet.

The fire slowly began to die down and Balthazar started carving symbols into the floor.

"No way," Dave whispered, coming closer.

"What is it?"

"This is the mark."

"This is the Merlin's circle," Balthazar corrected.

"You don't get it. This mark... Merlin's circle... has been tattooed onto mine and my sister's hips since we were born," Dave explained, still awed. "And now I finally know what it is!"

"That's odd," Balthazar commented. "Merlin said nothing..."

"Merlin _said_?"

"Never mind," Balthazar said, waving away Dave's question. He wanted to keep most of the information about himself hidden from his apprentice for now. "Anyways, this circle focuses your energy, helps you master new spells. It is where you will learn the art. Step inside, you leave everything else behind. Once you enter, there is no going back."

This was a little too much for Dave's logical brain, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So I should probably pee first?"

He asked, cringing as soon as it came out of his mouth. "Better safe than..."

Balthazar just stared at him.

"I can hold it," he decided, holding his thumb up.

The twenty-five year old cautiously stepped inside the still flaming circle, making sure he didn't step on any of the cracks with green fire coming out of them. As he stepped inside the circle in the dead center, he turned and came face to face with Balthazar.

"I am Balthazar Blake, sorcerer of the 777th degree, and you are my apprentice."

Sweet," Dave whispered.

SASASA

"Your ring," Balthazar started, pacing back and forth, "is not a piece of jewelry. It projects the electrical energy of your nervous system into the physical world. Without his ring, a sorcerer is powerless."

Balthazar was more or less lecturing Dave as he walked around Merlin's circle. Dave was listening from inside the circle, trying to absorb everything Balthazar was telling him about sorcery.

"The only other thing a sorcerer needs are a pair of pointy shoes." He took a pair out of his bag and tossed them to Dave, who barely caught them.

"Your rubber soles block the current," the sorcerer explained. "Plus, it helps you look classy."

Dave looked at the shoes, grimacing. "These are old man shoes."

"Excuse me?" Balthazar asked, offended. Dave looked down and noticed Balthazar was wearing the same type of shoes he was holding.

"I love them," he amended. "A lot."

SASASASA

Okay, so that's Chinatown!

I can officially tell you guys that Balthazar and Isadora are meeting in the next chapter! This should be interesting…

You'll also hear the truth in the statement, 'She messes with you a lot, doesn't she?' * evilly rubs hands together*

And wow, no one's guessed the National Treasure thing yet? If it's because you haven't seen the movie, go see it, because it's awesome!

By the way, thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You guys are awesome. If it's not too much to ask, it would be great if some of you story alert-ers reviewed too! Even just something to say 'Like it' or 'Hate it'. Seriously! It helps me write!


	5. Of OldMan Shoes, Plasma Bolts, and Blac

Ok, it's up!

This chapter might seem a little short, but it only covers one scene in the movie. I also wanted it to focus on Balthazar's and Izzie's meeting, so tell me what you guys think of it! You know, other than 'Finally!'

Disclaimer: Don't know it! (Though I think I have some old man shoes sitting around somewhere!)

**The Twin**

**Of Old-Man Shoes, Plasma Bolts, and Blackmail**

"This is how you make a…"

Balthazar's tirade was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. "If that's the girl you talk about all the time, I'm going to kill you!" he called up at Dave who was getting the door.

"It's probably my sister with the ring," Dave called back down. "I _really_ hope it's my sister with the ring," he mumbled under his breath, afraid of what his eccentric master would do if the person at the door was Becky.

So when he opened to the door, he sagged in relief when he saw red hair.

"Izzie!" he exclaimed, happy to see his twin for the first time in a few months.

"Dave!" she squealed, locking her arms around his neck as he spun her around. "How have you been," she implored. "Aside from this magic business, of course."

"I met a girl."

"No way! You have to introduce us," Isadora exclaimed.

"You actually already know her. Remember Becky Barnes from 4th grade?" he asked.

Izzie gasped. "Of course! She works at a radio station now. We've kept in touch since I got into Brown. We grew closer after your… accident."

"I think everyone benefitted from that except me."

"Well, if you're a wizard now, that's a way of benefitting!"

"True enough."

As they were talking, they moved down the stairs. Isadora's eyes widened as they took in the giant room.

"I see you have your Tesla coils set up," she noted.

Dave smiled at having another physics geek in the house.

"So," Dave announced. "Welcome to my torture chamber, where my somewhat insane sorcerer master sees it fit to attempt to kill me ninety-nine percent of how-to-become-a-sorcerer practice."

Isadora laughed. "I'm sure it's not all that bad, Davie. I wish I could learn sorcery. Oh, the things I would do…"

"You brought the ring, right?"

"Of course! You say it's the ring of Merlin himself?" Izzie asked, still a bit suspicious of all this sorcerer business.

"I'll prove it to you later, which reminds me, how long can you stay?"

"Maybe permanently. In since my years at Brown are over, I might move back to New York if there's something worth staying for," she explained.

"Good, I might need you in the upcoming weeks," Dave said, in a bit of a foreboding tone.

"So when am I going to meet this alarming and frightening sorcerer I've heard so much about?" Isadora teased.

"Izzie, it's absolutely terrifying, the stuff he does to me."

"Dave? Are you talking about me?" The voice came from a corner of the room.

Isadora spun on her heel and came face-to-face with a pretty good looking guy. She was about to say hello, when she noticed he looked very familiar. Very, _very _familiar. Recognizing him, she gasped.

"Balthazar Blake: Merlin's second and wisest apprentice," she recited. A very awkward silence followed.

Dave was the first one to find his voice; Isadora and Balthazar were too busy stared at each other, both in astonishment. "Wait, Izzie, how do you know his name? And Balthazar," He turned to his master, "You're Merlin's apprentice?"

But all of Balthazar's attention was on the red-head in front of him. His expression turned suspicious.

"How do you know my name and my master's?" he implored.

"I've studied you for a very long time," the girl replied, frowning at how stalkerish that had come out.

"I mean, I'm majoring in history from Jesus' supposed birth to the year AD 1000. I love learning about the time of King Arthur."

She stepped forward and her hand hovered in front of her, uncertain if he was even real.

Balthazar's eyes softened and he gently brought her hand to rest against the place where his chest met his shoulder. "I'm real," he spoke softly as to not alarm her.

"I always believed that, you know," she whispered back. Then, as she began to realize the position she was in, with a stranger nonetheless, she quickly took a few steps back. A light pink blush stained her cheeks and she cleared her throat.

"Anyways, I'm very pleased to meet you, Balthazar," she smiled at him.

"My pleasure, but I'm afraid I haven't had the delight of learning your name," Balthazar smiled back at her.

Dave was stunned. 'So all I have to do is bring my sister and Balthazar will go easy on me. Probably because of some ancient chivalry. I'll have to do it more often now.'

"It's Isadora."

"Is that-" Balthazar started.

"From your time? Yes, and I always get teased furiously for it. But, you know, I've always really liked it," Isadora said.

"Well, I think it's absolutely beautiful, Isadora," Balthazar returned, drawing out her name.

"Thanks," the 25 year-old smiled, bowing out of the conversation. She wanted to explore the room she would be spending the next few hours in.

Dave was about to join her, when he heard:

"Oh Dave?"

"Yes?"

His master walked forward so he was directly in front of him.

"There's positively no way in hell I'm going to go easy on you, pretty sister or not," Balthazar whispered in his apprentice's ear. Then he walked over to the Incantus to pick out the day's spells.

Isadora looked up from her physics book.

She was lying on the floor of her brother's unauthorized lab space, watching him get hit over and over again with Balthazar's plasma bolts, wearing pointy/old man shoes. Balthazar had forced her into a pair once she had decided to stay.

_Can't have you blocking Dave's current," _he had almost scolded her, probably enjoying the fact he could boss absolutely anyone around because of his superlative thirteen hundred plus age. This guy took the annoying motto 'respect your elders' to the _highest _level that was humanly, or sorcererly, possible.

Her physics exam was next Friday and although she, like her brother, would never fail molecular physics, she figured it would be good to study anyways.

"Good," Balthazar praised when Dave blocked his bolt. "Now you try."

Izzie closed her book and watched for half an hour as Dave attempted to make a decent plasma bolt. She was giggling the entire time; he was positively horrible at it.

Sometimes he couldn't even get one started, sometimes they disappeared with a flash of blue. The funniest time, at least in Isadora's opinion, was when one shot out of his hands, bounced back, and hit the padding the boy was wearing. Then, just as he lifted the padding to prove how smart he was, the plasma bolt came back and hit him in the crotch.

Balthazar, realizing it would be a while before Dave would make a decent plasma bolt, was moving boxes around. Currently, he was outside throwing some junk out. Izzie could hear him shouting from out on the streets, "Again!" every time Dave's blue fire fizzed out.

The sorcerer had really good hearing.

Isadora, tired of watching her brother try and fail at one of the most important aspects of being a sorcerer, stood up and asked, "Where's that extra ring that you used before you got Merlin's, Dave?"

"Why?" he asked, still desperately trying to make a plasma bolt.

"Just where is it?" she asked, exasperatedly running her fingers through her hair.

"Chill, sis! It's over on that table," he said, nudging his head towards the small side table that held said ring.

Isadora walked over and picked the ring up. "Why, you asked? Because I'm about to teach you how to make a plasma bolt."

"Oh please," Dave rolled his eyes. "If I can't do it, there's no way" -her hands lit up with blue fire-"you can... Oh God."

"See?" she asked, slowly rotating her hands around the large blue ball she was forming. "And then you just..."

She shot out her hands, and the bolt shot out of them. When the plasma bolt hit the floor, where she had aimed it, it exploded, making the foundations of the abandoned subway station shake.

"Whoa, Dave, was that you?" Balthazar's voice echoed above them, slowly growing louder as he came to see if anything had been damaged. "We'll make a sorcerer out of you yet!"

"Actually, it was-" Dave started, but then he noticed his sister frantically shaking her head no, and he stopped.

He began to mouth 'Why', but Isadora had already deposited the ring back on the table, running back to her physics book and opening it to a random page.

Balthazar came down the stairs. "You know, Dave, I'm surprised you got it that fast."

"Me too," Dave said under his breath, and then glared at his sister.

Isadora, pretending to act happy for him, skipped over and crushed Dave in a hug. "That was amazing, Dave!" she squealed.

She turned to Balthazar. "You should've seen it, Balthazar, it was absolutely unbelievable!"

"I'm so proud of you, Davie," she smiled evilly into her twin's jacket.

"Oh no, you did not just tell Balthazar-" Dave started, embarrassed.

"Davie? That is going to be great blackmail later on. Thank you, Isadora." Balthazar smirked at Dave.

"No problem, Balthazar, and call me Izzie."

SASASASA

I wanted to get the fact out that Balthazar isn't acting all sweet and smiley because he's infatuated with Izzie; they were very polite to women back when Balthazar lived (The knight's code, and all that junk)

Just know that they're not falling head-over-heels in love as soon as they meet; that would be weird.

One more thing before I let you guys go: Dave is going to seem a little different than how he is exactly in the movie, but in the movie he was only interacting mainly with a girl who he is in love with and a man who is more or less an incredibly witty stranger. This is his sister he's talking to!


	6. Of Sandwiches, Fiery Trash, and Believin

I really want to thank **Maira the Panda **and** kenobigirlliz **for their continued encouragement and criticism. I really couldn't have kept writing on bad days without reading you guys' reviews. Thanks!

Also, check out **kenobigirlliz **Of Treasure Maps and Steel Eagles; it's a crossover between SA and National Treasure. What more could us magical history fanatics want?

One more thing before I let you guys read: I don't usually do chapter dedications, but this chapter calls for one.

This chapter is dedicated to my friend Sarah; I know you went through some really bad times, but you're going to pull through. Just like Izzie did.

Disclaimer: I only own the twin… get it?

**The Twin**

**Of Sandwiches, Fiery Trash, and Believing**

Isadora was _still_ laughing.

After watching 'sorcery practice', they had all gone out for sandwiches. As they walked, Balthazar proceeded to tell Izzie everything she had missed when she was taking a shower in the building above the abandoned subway turnaround.

"...And then he was electrocuted," Balthazar finished, cracking a smile at Dave.

"So," Isadora gasped, breathless from laughing, "you made his own Tesla coils turn against him?"

"Exactly," Balthazar replied.

In about five minutes, they came to a stop in front of a quaint little sandwich shop. Dave figured he needed to spilt the two up before Balthazar got some _real_ dirt on his childhood. He also needed to find out exactly how his sister shot a plasma bolt with absolutely _no_ practice at all.

"Balthazar, why don't you go get the sandwiches? Izzie and I will meet you at that bench over there," Dave directed, waving his hand in the direction of a bench. It was one that was isolated from the others; it was also located right outside the local music studio.

Balthazar shrugged and walked inside, already knowing what to get the twins. Sorcery had its perks.

Dave and Isadora meandered over to said bench. They both sat down.

"So," Dave started awkwardly, "how'd you fire that plasma bolt?"

The redhead turned to him, her expression both serious and solemn. "I was thinking about it, and, in since we're twins, maybe I have some of your power in me. I mean, not as much as you, but a little. Balthazar says you're powerful, Dave, I have to have some of that magic in me too."

Dave nodded. It was a good explanation, except for one thing...

"But how were you able to conjure up a decent plasma bolt and I wasn't?" Dave implored.

Isadora's eyes softened. She placed her hand on top of his. "I believe, Dave. You have to _believe_ you can do it. I can tell you don't fully believe magic exists-"

"Trust me, Izzie, I've seen enough magic to believe it exists," Dave interrupted.

"In you, Dave. You have to believe magic exists in _you_."

Dave was still skeptical. "Then how come Balthazar can do magic so easily? I mean, he doesn't look like he's concentrating and believing every time he shoots a plasma bolt."

Look at him, Dave," Isadora said softly. Dave looked up to see Balthazar walking towards them, weaving through the pedestrians, a paper bad clutched in his hand.

"Look at him," she repeated, "and tell me he doesn't believe in magic, in himself. It's in the way he walks, the way he speaks; it's in his _eyes_, Dave."

The boy nodded, finally seeing what his magical education was lacking. Confidence. It wasn't Balthazar who had to choose to be ready or not; it was Dave's decision alone. But he wasn't sure if he was ready quite yet...

"Izzie," Dave whispered, "do you think Balthazar is willing to wait? I'm not sure if I can fully believe yet."

"I'm sure he will," Isadora soothed. Balthazar was about twenty feet away from the bench, when Dave's sister suddenly grabbed his hand and made him look her in the eye. "You can't tell Balthazar that I can do magic," she said bluntly.

"Why not? He could train us both!" Dave exclaimed, getting excited.

"No Dave. Don't worry, I have a very good reason."

Dave was about to ask what that 'very good reason' was, but by then Balthazar had sat down in between them.

He began removing at least six sandwiches from the bag, handing Dave's his and Isadora hers, saving about four for himself. Isadora immediately began munching down on hers, leaving Dave and Balthazar to talk.

"Dude!" Dave exclaimed, referring to the plethora of sandwiches in Balthazar's lap.

"I beg your pardon," Balthazar apologized, picking up a sandwich. "I haven't eaten in fifteen years."

Isadora nearly choked on her sandwich. "Fifteen years! What happened?"

"Dave got Horvath and me stuck in an urn for fifteen years," Balthazar explained.

"How-"

"Arcana Cabana," Dave added, clearing up the girl's confusion.

"So that's what you were doing in that shop... meeting a sorcerer. Lucky! Then, who's Horvath?"

"Maxim Horvath," Balthazar said.

"He's trying to kill me and unleash a bunch of evil on the world," Dave added.

"So you guys are kind of like the heroes in one of those corny Sci-Fi movies?" Isadora asked.

"Yeah," Dave agreed. Isadora went back to her sandwich, satisfied for the moment.

"Might I ask what's so special about this bench?" Balthazar inquired.

Suddenly, Dave's back straightened and he pretty much stared at something over Balthazar's shoulder.

Both Izzie and Balthazar followed his gaze, turning to see a girl –Becky, in Isadora's case- come out of a building and begin to walk towards the subway.

"No, no, no," Balthazar scolded, turning back to Dave.

"What?"

"There's no time for that and too much at stake," Balthazar said.

Isadora sat back and enjoyed the free show she was getting. Watching Dave and Balthazar argue was better than cable.

"That girl... she's the one, man, and you're my mentor, Balthazar, aren't you supposed to help me to achieve my personal goals?" Dave tried.

"Ah.. Yes, yes!" Balthazar started, shaking a pickle. "Except I'm not your mentor, I'm your master."

Isadora's face became a fire truck on the sun when she heard that.

"...and your master says if Horvath catches you out on the street, you'll die. Is she worth that? Think about it, Dave."

About five seconds of 'thinking', Dave took off down the street, trying to catch up to Becky. All Isadora heard was Becky say 'Are you stalking me?' before they turned the corner.

Balthazar smirked, watching Dave try to convince Becky that he wasn't stalking her. "Why was I even concerned," he said under his breath, taking a bite of his pickle.

The sorcerer and the literature major ate in silence for a while, then the redhead decided it was getting a little _too_ awkward for her tastes.

"I don't really know much about you," she told him.

"I'm surprised," Balthazar replied dryly. "With all your 'records', I supposed you would know more about me than I do myself."

"My brother told you about that conversation," Isadora realized.

"I was sitting next to him when he called you," the sorcerer explained.

"I see."

"I'm glad."

Izzie laughed, and then changed the subject back to their earlier conversation. "Surprisingly enough, the records don't think the fact you wear the oldest coat in the history of coats is important. In fact, you could probably sell that coat to a museum and be able live the rest of your life without working."

"Alright, enough jokes at the expense of my coat," Balthazar warned her.

"Let's play a game," Isadora offered.

"What kind of game," Balthazar asked warily.

"You tell me something no one knows about you, and I'll do the same."

Balthazar nodded. He saw no harm in this. "Who starts?"

"I'll start, I guess..." Izzie trailed off, suddenly solemn.

She swung her legs around so she was facing him, and took a deep breath.

"When I was in grade school, especially middle school, I was teased tremendously. There were lots of reasons, but the main one was because of my love of books. There was one boy, Tom Chase, who teased me much more than the others."

She took another deep breath, fighting back tears.

"You don't have to tell me this," Balthazar whispered soothingly, though now he was curious.

"It's okay. I actually feel like I can open up to you, unlike most people I've met. Which is weird, because I just met you. I feel like I've known you longer than I truly have," she added. Balthazar nodded.

She continued. "My favorite teacher, Mrs. Anderson, whom I graded papers for, told me not to worry; that Tom just liked me. And she was actually right... in the worst way possible."

"He and his pack, they cornered me after school and beat me up because I wouldn't date him! It was-"

"They did what?" Balthazar exclaimed, suddenly gripping her arm. "Isadora, why am I the first to know this? You could've gone to an adult! They could've helped you!"

"They wouldn't believe me, except for Mrs. Anderson. And then she died in a car crash the very next week..." Isadora trailed off.

Balthazar's eyes softened. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she replied, wiping away a few escaping tears. "It's your turn."

Balthazar had been planning on doing something light, but now that she had shared such a haunting memory with him, he couldn't help but return the favor. He also needed to distract her from her pain. He couldn't help but feel the need to protect her from that agony. She was a vulnerable and beautiful young woman, and Balthazar was starting to feel old sentiments of knight's codes and sorcerer pacts rise within him.

"It was the year 1865 when, in England, I met a seven year old girl named Rosalina. I called her Rosa. Merlin had warned me not to get attached during my journey, but I couldn't help it."

"I watched her grow, get married, and eventually stop believing in the old man who she used to meet in the park every day."

Balthazar's shoulders slumped a little, and Isadora put a hand on his arm.

"She died at the age of forty-two from an incurable disease. Nowadays, they would call it pancreatic cancer."

"I'm so sorry," Izzie murmured, her green eyes wide.

Balthazar pulled his arm away from her hand, which fell limply to the bench like a rag doll. "It's fine, really. It was such a long time ago that I can hardly remember what she looks like," he lied.

Isadora shook her head. Balthazar might be a good liar but she could see right through him this time. "No one knows how much time they have to be with the people who are the most important," she whispered cryptically.

"Well, enough sadness," Balthazar finalized, sitting up. "Do you want to help me scare your brother?" He held out an arm to her, old-fashioned.

"I'm game," she agreed, hooking an arm through his.

SASASA

_About 10 minutes earlier, Dave and Becky_

Dave and Becky slowly walked down the steps to the subway.

"So I listened to your show last night," Dave mentioned, trying to get a conversation going.

"Well, what'd you think?" Becky asked.

"Well, it was amazing! I've never actually heard of any of those bands, which I think is a good indicator that they're cool," Dave said.

Becky laughed. "Well I'm glad someone was listening."

They had reached the bottom of the stairway, and the train was just leaving. 'Good,' Dave thought, 'I'll have a few more minutes with her.'

"Well, this may come as a surprise to you-"

All of the sudden, a thug jumped out at them, baring a knife. "C'mon, give me that," he ordered. Becky threw him her bag. "Give me the bracelet."

Becky hurriedly undid the bracelet, and the robber grabbed it, hitting Dave as he took off up the stairs.

"That was my grandmother's bracelet," Becky whimpered, on the verge of tears.

Dave took a deep breath, hoped Balthazar and Izzie would manage his funeral affairs, and took off after the thug.

"No, Dave no!" Becky frantically called after him. That guy was huge; he'd probably kill Dave!

Dave got the dragon ring out of his pocket and slipped it on, still sprinting up the stairs. He willed the revolving door that the pickpocket was trying to escape out of to get stuck, and it actually worked!

The thug looked back at him.

"Now you just give me that bracelet back please," Dave panted, exhausted from running up all those stairs.

The thief got into a defensive position, flipping out his knife. "You better run back to your girlfriend," he warned.

Dave rolled his eyes. "Believe me, I wish she was-" he paused. "You thought she was my girlfriend?" he asked hopefully.

The thug looked at him like he was insane. He probably was, trying to make _conversation _with some random thief that had a sharp knife pointed at him.

"Was that the kind of vibe you got?" Dave asked.

"You talk too much," the thug cautioned. "Shut up."

Dave shrugged; he'd been getting that a lot, especially from Balthazar. He thrust out his ring, magically picking up a nearby trashcan.

It swung back and forth for a while; Dave couldn't get a strong pull on it. "Whatcha doing?" the thug kept demanding.

Suddenly, it burst into flames.

"Whoa! You seeing it?" the thug exclaimed, pointing frantically to the fiery trashcan behind him. Dave slapped his forehead in frustration. He apparently needed to work on the levitation spell.

"Heads up," Dave warned, and then moved the trashcan forward so it knocked the thug out.

SASASA

Becky had run to go get some guards, but as they jogged to the scene of the crime, Dave was running towards them with her bag and her grandmother's bracelet.

The policemen kept running, going to pick up the thug, and Dave thrust Becky's things into her arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah," the physics major replied nonchalantly. "Here you go."

"How'd you do that?" Becky implored, amazed. Luckily for Dave, the train was coming in, so he wouldn't have to go into details. He didn't think he could lie, even if his life depended on it. "That guy was huge!"

"I've been doing a lot of cardio- cardio boxing lately," Dave shakily explained. "Uh... Let me introduce, thunder... lightning," he said, holding up his fists.

"Something about you seems different," Becky declared, probably the most romantic line ever written.

As usual, Dave had to go screw it up.

"I'm, uh, wearing new shoes," he stammered awkwardly.

Becky looked down. "Nice," she commented, staring at the old-man shoes.

"Thank you," Dave replied. "Is this your train?" he asked, motioning to the subway train that had just pulled up, its doors slowly opening.

"Uh, yes. Thank you," she said again.

"I, uh, just wanted to tell you that, if you want me to help you with your midterms, come by my lab, I'll... text you the address?" Dave offered.

"Yes! That would be great!" she answered.

"Yeah?"

"Uh, tomorrow?" she asked.

"It's a date!" Dave exclaimed, excited. Seeing Becky's face, he added, "No no no, it's not a date. It's a date like an appointment!"

He could see her laughing inside the train. "A date like an appointment!" he called after her. His shoulders slumped with exasperation.

"Love..."

Dave nearly jumped twenty feet in the air at his master's voice. He turned quickly and took in the sorcerer of the 777th degree, a bit creepy looking with his fedora pulled low. From behind Balthazar, Isadora was giggling like crazy. Dave noticed the easy closeness between Balthazar and his sister, but passed it off as their agreed upon conspiracy against him. Balthazar was at least a decade older than her, anyways.

"... is a distraction. Sorcery requires complete focus," Balthazar lectured Dave.

"You know, Izzie's kind of ruining your speech," Dave tried to turn them against each other.

"Not working, Dave," Izzie replied to the unspoken question.

Balthazar smiled wryly. "Let's go, crazy girl, thunder and lightning."

"There's more to learn."

SASASA

So that's that!

I know some of you have been commenting on how I'm not really doing those scenes with Horvath and Drake. I _am _doing that on purpose; this story is supposed to be from the point of view of the good guys.

With that said, I can't wait for the bathroom scene! *evil grin*

-lala-


	7. Of Levitation, Uncle Balthazar, and John

This one took **forever**. For some really stupid reason.

For those of you who don't know who John Donne is, he's a famous poet. If you want to know more, (especially about his poem "_Death be not Proud"_ ) look it up.

And the Tesla Coil part when Izzie is talking to Dave? I'm not a physics nerd like Dave and Izzie, so I really don't know what I'm talking about. So if you **do **know what you're talking about, please review and tell me. I am definitely pro-literature.

Enjoy the new OC! He's the kind of professor **I **want! And both his first and last name tie into his character (yes, I'm a freak like that) so if you want to look them up, they could provide some interesting information!

One more thing: I usually don't do quotes for this story, but this one is **really **relevant to the chapter. In fact, it's relevant to the entire story, even the movie without Izzie! Especially when Izzie and Jeff(You'll find out soon!) are talking about magic.

**The Twin**

**Of Levitation, Uncle Balthazar, and John Donne**

"_Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity."_

_Albert Einstein_

"Now focus on control."

Balthazar was currently levitating, reading a book. Dave was desperately trying to keep him there, as well as all the other chairs floating around him.

"Hey boys, I'm back. Got us some food; were you guys going to eat those sandwiches from that place across the street for the rest of your lives?" Isadora bounced into the room, carrying a few shopping bags. "I also got Dave some new clothes; God knows he needs them if he wants to impress Becky."

"Thank you for the encouragement, dear sister, but I am _not_ going to be distracted," Dave murmured, focused on the spell.

"You seem abnormally cheerful today," Balthazar observed, snapping his book closed. The title was briefly visible: _Don Quixote._

"I know! I think it was all that Coca-Cola I drank last night to be able to stay up and work on Dave's Tesla Coils!" Isadora grinned widely. So that explained the empty Coke cans lying around the lab.

Dave nearly dropped Balthazar. "You were working on my Tesla Coils?"

"Just a little! All I did was up the frequency to make the electromagnetic waves shorter..."

"And therefore make the sound waves clearer!" Dave interrupted, getting excited. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"I don't know, but if I were you, I'd focus on the levitation spell before you make Balthazar do something he'd regret," Isadora warned.

Dave turned to his master, who was smirking at him. "Set me down, slow and steady."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Dave lost his concentration, and made Balthazar's chair clatter to the floor with a bang, nearly throwing the sorcerer onto the floor.

"Dave?" a voice called from outside. "It's Becky!"

Dave's head shot up, and he ran towards the stairs. "Uh, I'll be back shortly. Could you please hide? Hide now."

"Does he mean me or you?" Izzie wondered.

"Both of you!" Dave called.

"Dave, get back here. We have important work to do!" the sorcerer shouted.

Dave, ignoring Balthazar, opened the door to let Becky in.

"Hi," she said brightly.

"Hi!" he returned. "We should go... the library... any place-"

"Dave?" Balthazar called from the stairs.

Dave groaned, watching as Balthazar appeared on the platform. "Is that company I hear?"

"Uh, yeah! Um... Okay," Dave mumbled, resigned to the fact Balthazar and Becky would meet eventually. He just wished it would have happened later.

"Becky, this is my uh," Dave started, looking to his master for help.

Unfortunately, Balthazar had nothing.

Suddenly, Isadora literally sprung into the scene. "Uncle Balthazar!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know you were here," she said, throwing herself into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck. Balthazar returned the favor, winding his arms around her waist tightly. He breathed in the scent of her hair, closing his eyes. He realized what he was doing, and flinched back a little bit. Then, as he thought about it, he leaned in again.

It was all for the act, wasn't it?

"Izzie, darling! It's been ages!"

"Well, Uncle, you must've arrived just before Becky, right Dave?" Isadora glared at Dave, willing him to agree. This story had to work.

"Definitely," Dave stuttered.

"Nice save," Balthazar whispered as he set her down, keeping an arm tightly wrapped around her waist.

"Any time," she replied.

"Hey, Dave, I'm confused. I thought you and I were staying in together... You know, I haven't seen you in quite a few years." Balthazar attempted to play the sympathy card.

Isadora elbowed him in the side. "Come on, Balthazar, let them live a little. They're so adorable together," she murmured to him under her breath.

"Oh, if this is a bad time," Becky started, backing away.

"No, no," Dave said hurriedly. "Uncle, you and I have plans for later on?" He motioned, staring at Isadora for help. When he received nothing but a nod and a wink, he winged it.

"Becky, let's just get out of here," Dave offered.

Isadora, knowing how much her brother had wanted to show Becky his Tesla Coils, decided to get Balthazar out if it was the last thing she'd ever do. She twisted out of Balthazar's grip –which was quite a challenge – and instead grabbed his right hand, pulling him along with her as she made for the door that led outside.

"You know what? It's alright, because I just remembered, Uncle and I have to go into town to pick up your..."

"Anti-Itch cream," Balthazar finished for her, looking smug. Seems as though he'd have the last laugh.

Isadora _really_ wanted to slap Balthazar for that comment, but she decided it would probably look bad to Becky if she slapped her 'uncle' for no apparent reason.

"So you two stay here, have fun, and I'll see you at yoga, Becky!" Isadora finished cheerfully as Balthazar nearly dragged her to the car, picking her up and placing her inside before she exploded into fits of giggles and gave them away.

"Your sister and your uncle have a weird relationship," Becky commented.

"You have no idea," Dave mumbled under his breath.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say they loved each other." Becky smiled, watching the car as it swiftly drove out of sight.

Dave nearly fell head first down the stairs. "Is that so?" he choked out.

"Yes, it is," Becky replied resolutely. "Now... physics?"

SASASA

Balthazar slowly drove up to the ex- Arcana Cabana.

He had dropped Isadora off at the college; she was going to help one of her brother's professors with a presentation about John Donne's famous poem "Death be not proud".

He made his way inside, making sure no one could see him. As he walked down the stairs, he noticed the entire basement had been cleaned up. Of course, anything was an improvement on the mess he usually left it in when he owned this place fifteen years ago.

He bent down over a section of the wall, removing a few boards from in front of it. The sorcerer waved his hands over the brick, making a little safe appear. He slowly creaked it open, ignoring all of the cobwebs that came with it. He grabbed a burlap bag from the safe, pulling it into his lap.

Reaching inside, Balthazar pulled out an ancient looking scroll. He slowly unrolled it.

_Soul Mutation Spell_

He just gazed at it for a while, then he put it back in, pulling out a little velvet cloth. He unwrapped it, revealing a beautiful necklace with a ruby as dark as blood as the pendant. He held it delicately, thinking of all the wonderful women that he had known throughout the years, especially poor little Rosalina. Lucky to be married to her soul mate.

_Maybe love isn't so bad after all._

SASASA

Isadora walked through campus, trying to find Dave's professor. Or, more accurately, said professor's office.

About twenty minutes later, she came to a stop in front a door that read _Professor Geoffrey Aurealis_.

She knocked tentatively, wincing at the loud echo it made.

"Come in," someone called.

She opened the door and walked in the room, instantly taking in her surroundings, including the man standing in front of her, writing on a giant chalkboard. The chalkboard was as full as the new moon with writing, and Isadora gazed curiously at it, wondering where the beginning started and where the end finished up. She turned her head slightly to the right, tilting with the writing as it curved, probably also as the professor became exhausted. Izzie smirked; she never wanted to be a literature professor, even if she absolutely loved the subject.

Geoffrey Aurealis was a slight, lean man. He was in his late thirties to early forties, Isadora guessed, which was incredibly young for a professor with his infamy. He was brunette with keen eyes, taking her in just as she did with him.

Breaking the silence, Isadora introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Isadora Stutler, Dave's sister." She held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Professor Aurealis."

"Call me Jeff," he replied, shaking her hand firmly. "After all, you're not one of my students. At least, I hope not," he joked. "I try to learn all of my students' names."

"That's pretty impressive; not a lot of professors I know try to remember names. But you're right: I'm done with college," she smiled.

"Really? Where'd you go?"

"Brown University on the Honors English Program," she responded. Isadora winced as she said it; she was absolutely sick of answering that question, especially after seven years of the college.

"Wow, I know you were recommended to me and everything... but wow."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Isadora smirked.

"So," she added, setting her bag down. "Donne?"

"Donne."

SASASA

"Okay! Enough with the studying. There's something I want to show you."

Dave was in the process of yanking a few wires into the center of the room, hooking them up to a giant cage.

Becky wandered around the room, finally able to ask the question which had been bothering her since she arrived.

"What are these things," she wondered aloud, reaching up and caressing one of the oddly shaped things on the wall. They reminded her of giant cones.

"Tesla Coils," Dave replied from across the room. "I was using them to generate something called plasma," he explained.

"The thing is," he went on to say, "I got so fixated on the technical aspects of it, that I almost didn't notice something kind of... beautiful."

Dave stepped inside the cage, closing the door behind him. He checked over a few things, then opened the other side.

"I think you'd better... step into my cage," he offered, holding out a hand to her. He winced at how weird that had sounded.

"Okay," Becky grinned. "Definitely the first time anyone has ever said that to me."

She strode over to the cage, getting inside. Dave shut the door behind her. "I'm not surprised," he commented.

"Just... hold on to this bar please," he recommended. Becky pointed to the bar.

Dave nodded, and she gripped the bar with a hand. "Two hands," Dave told her. The blonde's eyes grew wide as she placed her other hand on the bar. "Okay."

Dave twisted a knob, and the room became almost pitch black. He pressed a few keys on his Mac, then firmly hit the spacebar.

"Hold on tight, and enjoy the show," Dave smiled as Becky worriedly stared at him.

Suddenly, the Tesla Coils seemed to create lightning, as the blasts hit the cage and the floor around them. Becky nearly screamed in shock.

"Oh my god," Becky exclaimed, noticing the coils were actually carrying a tune. "How is this possible?"

"The coils are filing at such a high frequency, that the sparks literally create sound waves as they fly through the air." He struck a pose. "Which is nerdy!"

Becky laughed, finally realizing Dave was actually a pretty cool guy when you got to know him.

The coils stopped and Dave typed in another combination, waiting for Becky's reaction.

Becky giggled, looking around. Dave seemed to only see the golden waves of her hair, shimmering every time a coil illuminated it. Suddenly she gasped, recognizing the song that the Tesla Coils were playing. She turned towards him, a huge smile on her face.

"You _were_ listening! I played this song the other night."

"These coils," Dave explained deeply, "are my life. Two years I'm down here working with them, and they're making their own music, and it was lost on me. I was never able to appreciate it... until I met you. And heard you talking about music on your radio show... Aw, I'm sappy."

Becky laughed, and just by staring into her eyes, Dave heard the song the Tesla Coils were playing sing in his head.

'_I'm gonna give all my secrets away'_

SASASA

"So you actually liked magic as a kid?" Jeff asked, amazed.

They had finished up on John Donne, writing up a fantastic lecture on his poems. He had then offered to walk her home, in since it was downtown New York at night. She doubted he could actually help if they got mugged or something, but it was a nice gesture.

Isadora really had no idea how the subject turned to magic so quickly, but ironically, it did.

"I still believe in it now," Isadora said frankly.

"Really?" he asked. "I wouldn't have put you down for that type."

"What type?"

"Illogical and whimsical," he retorted sharply.

"Well think about it. Science is practically magic. The fact we exist on this earth is too coincidental to _not_ be magic. Plus, how could things like love happen if magic didn't exist?" Izzie argued.

"Easy! Love doesn't exist!" Jeff exclaimed.

"I'm going to prove you wrong on that one, because you're going to fall in love yourself soon. I can see it," the redhead promised.

The literary professor was about to reply, but a light suddenly illuminated the two of them. Both turned as headlights appeared around the corner. Jeff moved in front of Isadora, shielding her from the driver just in case he didn't have the best intentions.

"Wait, I know that car!" Izzie exclaimed. "It's Balthazar!"

"Balthazar? What an odd name," Jeff mumbled to himself. He looked up to see Isadora getting in the car.

"C'mon, Jeff! Balthazar will give you a ride," she called. He bounded over to the car and slid into the backseat. "Where do you live," she asked, cringing at the stalkerish way that came out.

"On the corner of Washington and Concord. But he can drop you off first," he offered graciously.

Balthazar and Izzie shared a look. "Well, we actually live in the same building, Balthazar and I. So we'll drop you first."

"Alright," Jeff resigned.

The rest of the car ride was full of an awkward silence, bearing down on them. When they arrived at Jeff's apartment, he hopped out, blew a kiss to Isadora, and was on his way.

Balthazar's grip tightened on the steering wheel.

"So," Izzie started. "Did your magical adventure go well?"

"Yes, it did, Iris," Balthazar replied, flinching, hoping she wouldn't catch his mistake.

But she did.

"Iris? What?" she asked, confused.

"Well," he explained, "When I was on my 'magical adventure', as you call it, I was thinking about your name. I knew I had heard it _somewhere_. So I began to think-"

"Oh, the horror," Izzie mumbled under her breath. Balthazar decided to ignore it, for her sake.

"Your name is another variation of the name Iris, Greek goddess of the rainbow," he said bluntly, smirking as she gasped quietly.

"And in since Isadora, though a lovely name, is a mouthful, and Izzie seems like the wrong nickname between you and me, you are now _Iris_."

"It's beautiful, Balthazar, thank you," she smiled. "But what's wrong with Izzie?"

"Do I _look_ like the kind of person who would call you 'Izzie?'," Balthazar implored, a bit of his sarcastic side coming out.

Isadora sat back in her seat, smiling shyly as she stared out the window. 'No," she replied, still grinning.

"Not at all."

SASASA

So that's that!

How'd you like Geoffrey? And how about Izzie's new nickname that Balthazar gave her? Leave a quick review and let me know! (Or if you have an idea about who Geoffrey should fall in love with) I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I welcome suggestions!

Are you thinking, it's too happy-ending-ish? Well, I'm going to quote Dave here…

'Aww… I'm sappy.'

I love you guys! (But I'd love you more if you reviewed!)

I know, I'd be the most bias teacher _ever _if that ever happens (Closing that career choice)

Love,

-lala-


	8. Of Dates, Protectiveness, and Kicking Bu

Hey you guys!

Not much to say, but enjoy!

Oh, and also check out my poll for this story on my profile… I want to see what y'all think! (yes I'm part Southern)

Disclaimer: Wish I owned Nicolas Cage, but unfortunately this is a free country where we actually can't own other people… can we? *calls government* Dang…

**The Twin**

**Of Dates, Protectiveness, and Kicking Butt**

Dave was walking Becky to her yoga class.

They had gotten started talking about music, prompting the blonde to ask Dave whether he had any favorite bands.

"Well, thanks to you, I like OneRepublic," Dave offered. Becky smiled, almost laughing at Dave's adorable awkwardness.

"I meant-"

"Hey guys!" Izzie called, Jeff walking beside her. They had 'coincidently' met at Isadora's favorite coffee shop that morning, and after hearing that she was headed for a yoga class, offered to walk her there. She shrugged and accepted; usually Balthazar would do that, but he was off doing who-knows-what.

"Hey sis," Dave called, urging Becky forward. Then he noticed his professor. "Professor Aurealis," he greeted.

Becky looked back and forth between Jeff and Isadora for a while. Jeff didn't look like he was really going for the pretty redhead, but Becky suddenly worried. They didn't seem right for each other, that's all. Plus, Dave's uncle… wait, she shouldn't be thinking that; it was wrong.

"Well," Izzie broke the deafening awkward silence. "Becky and I have to get to yoga. I'll see you later, Jeff."

The literature professor headed towards the gym. "I might come back to use the showers here," he called over his shoulder. "They're so much better in this building!"

Isadora ran ahead to the class; in since she wasn't a regular yet, she had to check in with the instructor.

"This is me," Becky finalized, coming to a stop in front of the room that Izzie had just ran into.

"So, do you want to meet up later, eight o'clock, my lab?" Dave asked, crossing his fingers behind his back.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Becky agreed, turning on an a hundred watt smile.

"With me?" Dave blurted out. He nearly slapped himself; why would he say that?

"With you, yes," the blonde repeated firmly, letting out a small giggle. Dave was so cute.

"Just making sure..."

"Got to go to... yoga." Becky backed into the room.

"And I got to go to the bathroom," Dave realized, running off.

Becky set up her mat next to Isadora's. She shared a smile with her long-time friend.

"So, he ask you out?" Isadora asked, grinning.

"How did you guess," Becky wondered, astounded.

"I have _never_ seen my brother so flustered in his life. Plus, you two are just plain adorable together," she raved, stretching.

Becky laughed, and Izzie joined in, completely filling the room with their mirth. Finally the teacher told them to shut up. Izzie thought:

'Great, now I have to play match-maker with my yoga teacher too.'

SASASA

"I got a date with a girl cause I'm awesome," Dave sang completely tunelessly.

He was just about to use the toilet, when he heard the echoing of footsteps. The physics geek looked up; a very oddly dressed man came into the bathroom. It looked like the guy had just come out of the circus.

Drake, Horvath's temporary assistant, just stared at the boy; this was the Prime Merlinean?

"So you're the one," he started, leaning against the dryers.

"Excuse me?" Dave looked confused.

"Prime Merlinean, eh? You don't look like much," Drake commented in a heavily accented voice.

"I don't actually know what you're talking about," Dave told him as Drake walked up so he was about a foot away from the boy.

"Cool!" Drake exclaimed. "Makes this easy."

He kicked the air, making the hand dryers turn on. The noise was annoying, but it was necessary. He didn't want anyone to just walk in here because Dave was making a scene. Or screaming in pain. Same thing.

Dave gasped. "Y-you," he stuttered.

"Can't have anyone hearing your girly cries, right?"

"I don't actually know who you are," Dave said, confused.

"Really? You don't recognize me?" Drake asked, a little bit hurt.

"Are you into posh mode?" Dave replied, completely clueless.

Drake shook his head. That was it.

He grabbed Dave by the collar, pinning him magically against the wall. Suddenly, he heard a girl's voice.

"Dave!" Isadora shouted from outside the bathroom. Drake lost his concentration and Dave dropped heavily to the floor, motionless for the time being.

Isadora was furious. _No one_ messed with her brother. Period.

She ran forward, swinging up her fist to punch Drake in the stomach. The man doubled over from pain and shock. Here was this incredibly hot redhead, who was maybe a foot shorter than him, and she was beating him up? 'She might fight like a hamster,' he thought, 'but she was one freaking strong and furious five-foot-three hamster.'

She kneed him in the groin and he was down on the floor, awaiting the girl's mercy. He couldn't use magic; he didn't have time.

Out of the blue, she was sprawled out next him, knocked out. He looked up and saw Horvath standing in the doorway, the glow from his cane receding. He gazes at the redhead with curiosity, and... respect?

Well, she did just take out a sorcerer. That was pretty impressive in itself, even if it was just Drake.

"I can't believe you just let a little girl beat you up," Horvath said angrily, still staring at the girl. "Pitiful. Watch the door."

Drake stepped back and stationed himself outside. Dave struggled to get up.

Horvath walked up to Isadora, bending over. She looked like an angel, her hair a fiery halo spread out, framing her face. For Horvath, of course it wasn't love at first sight, but anyone, even the evilest in the world, could appreciate something truly beautiful. He almost wished he hadn't knocked her out. The sorcerer wondered if this was Dave's girlfriend; if so, he could probably lure her away easily.

He could find out.

Horvath brushed his fingers over her cheek and stood up. Dave had just gotten to his feet, staring at the evil man who had just been _touching_ Isadora.

"Get away from Izzie!"

Horvath pinned him against the wall with his cane. "Izzie?" he pondered. "Short for Isabel, or Isabella I presume?"

Dave remained silent.

"Tell me," Horvath demanded, his cane beginning to glow.

"Isadora," Dave whispered quietly.

"Isadora," Horvath repeated. "Alluring name for an alluring girl."

Dave, seeming to realize that this horrible, disgusting man might have a _thing_ for his _sister_, shouted, "You stay away from her!"

Horvath chuckled darkly, not ready to obey that certain request. "So, Dave," he began, pushing the boy harder against the wall. "I'm going to kill you. Ah yes. Right here, in this dismal bathroom. It's not very classy but there you go. But before we get to that unpleasantness, you're going to tell me where the Grimhold is."

Dave looked down, reluctant to tell this guy anything.

"Where is she?" Horvath demanded.

Dave looked up, a curious and confusing expression appearing on his face despite his greatest efforts. "She?"

Horvath looked surprised. "Oh! He hasn't told you, has he? The truth, about who's inside the doll? Sweetheart, you and your darling girlfriend have put your faith in the wrong man."

"My girlfriend?" Dave asked confused.

"Ah! So you're not with dear Isadora," he realized, oddly excited about the fact. "Then she must be family. A sister, perhaps?"

Horvath read the expression on Dave's face. The particularly _agreeing_ expression on the boy's face."A sister, then," he finalized. "Well, in since you two aren't together, tell me this. Have you ever been in love?"

"I-uh," Dave started, about to say no. He had to protect Becky. He couldn't drag her into all this. It was bad enough that Horvath now knew who his sister was.

"You're in love right now. I can see it in your eyes!" Horvath realized, enjoying the mental torture. Dave began to shake his head 'no'.

"No, don't try to deny it. I wonder what would happen, of you _lost_ her. Or your dear Isadora, for that matter," he taunted, drawing out her name.

Dave opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly Horvath's cane came up and blocked it. "Shut up!" he ordered impatiently. "You'd be no better than the rest of us."

Dave's head rested against the wall, defeated.

Horvath stepped back a few paces, stepping over Isadora's unmoving body. He pointed his cane towards her chest, the blue stone coming to rest over her heart. He had his leverage now. Dave would have to tell the truth.

"Where is the Grimhold," he demanded again.

"I don't know," Dave murmured desperately, staring at his sister. He was scared of what this man would do to her when he found out Dave truly didn't know where the Grimhold was.

"Oh, Dave, you really are the most dreadful liar," Horvath laughed, his cane vibrating where it rested. It lit up blue.

"That's what I keep telling him."

Horvath spun around, forgetting to keep his cane on the redhead.

Balthazar quickly took in the room, holding Horvath's little assistant by his fingertips. Dave was cowering in the corner. Being already angry with Dave, for going somewhere alone, and Horvath, because… he was Horvath, the sorcerer became even more furious when he saw Horvath standing over Isadora's completely motionless body.

Balthazar saw red.

'I'll kill him,' he thought.

"Want your guy back?" Balthazar taunted, throwing Drake so that he crashed into the lockers, collapsing to the floor.

"Oh!" Dave exclaimed, taking cover. He pulled Isadora's body over so it rested nearer to the door. He ran back to try and help his master.

Balthazar, meanwhile, waved his bejeweled hand over the nearest mirror, making it ripple.

Horvath charged towards him, ready to throw a punch. Unfortunately for him, Balthazar was much better at hand to hand combat.

Horvath soon found his face just inches from the mirror. "It's been a while since I've seen the Hungarian Mirror Trap," he commented, panting.

He pulled a magic trick so that Balthazar found himself in the position Horvath had been in about five seconds ago. "I guess I'm just old-fashioned."

Soon, they both were just a few inches from the mirror, trying to force each other inside.

Dave watched as Drake gathered his power to help Horvath, gesticulating very odd movements that Dave had never seen Balthazar _ever_ do. 'I guess it's because he's a more inexperienced sorcerer,' Dave thought, inwardly hoping Balthazar would stop him if he ever looked that stupid.

"Balthazar, look out!" the apprentice yelled, unable to use magic. His ring was in his pocket; he didn't have time to put it on.

Balthazar, seeing what Drake was attempting to do, spun out of the way, making Horvath get shot by Drake instead of him. The evil sorcerer disappeared into the mirror trap. Balthazar snapped his fingers, sending Drake into the nearest bathroom stall.

Balthazar relaxed a little bit, but his blood was still a kind of hot from the fistfight he just had with his arch-enemy.

Balthazar turned to look at Isadora, but he noticed another man leaning over her. Balthazar didn't have time to see who it was. Of course, if he had, it would have only spurred him on. Merlin's apprentice didn't even think; jealousy completely took over his body.

_No one_ touched Isadora like that.

_No one but him._

"It looks like she'll be al-"

Balthazar punched him. Hard.

Geoffrey lay sprawled out on the floor, bloody from a broken nose. Balthazar stared on with slight satisfaction.

"Not that I'm questioning your motives here, Balthazar, but was that entirely necessary?"

The sorcerer nodded, not even bothering to look at his apprentice. He dropped to his knees next to Isadora's body, feeling her pulse on both her heart and her wrist. Her heart was beating faintly. 'Thank God,' he thought.

With one hand over her heart, he trailed the other down her face, dusting lightly over her full, red lips. The hand continued down her arm, relishing in the feel of her skin for the first time.

"Is that another way of checking of she's okay," asked Dave, completely clueless.

Balthazar snapped out of it, withdrawing both of his hands, and instead pushed them gently under her body. With his back to Dave, he slowly brushed his lips over her forehead as he lifted her tenderly into his arms. She hung limply like a rag doll, and Balthazar curled her into him, bringing her closer as his arms tightened around her.

He turned to face Dave, seeing his apprentice watching him with amazement. Last time he'd checked, a human body was pretty heavy. Isadora weighed _at least_ a hundred pounds, and Balthazar was carrying all that weight on his own.

"What are you doing here, Dave?"

SASASA

Horvath saw it all. He saw the _whole_ damn show.

Granted, he couldn't exactly _hear_ anything from his prison, but he could definitely see.

He had seen Balthazar's lips brush Isadora's forehead, he had seen the tender look that he had only ever seen on the sorcerer when he was talking about his _dear _Veronica.

He especially saw Dave's clueless expression.

"You, old friend, are in for one _horrible_ surprise."

SASASA

There it is!

So Izzie's got _all _the boys, hasn't she? Lucky. If it was me, I'd totally go for Nicolas Cage!

It's a bit shorter than my usual, so count on the next one to be longer! The only reason was, in since this scene is so important, I wanted the chapter to center on it!

Sorry, Jeff fans. Balthazar had to show him what's what! Don't worry, Jeff's cool now. He won't be in this story _too _much, but he does have an important role in the ending!

Love,

-lala-


	9. Of Morgana, Hearts, and Secrets

I know! I updated crazy fast!

Unfortunately, it means this chapter isn't the 3000 word one I promised you… don't worry, it'll come around soon!

Keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, ladies and gentlemen, and enjoy the slightly new-subplot ride!

Disclaimer: Very glad I don't own Horvath, but otherwise… *cries*

**The Twin**

**Of Morgana, Hearts, and Secrets**

"Horvath was trying to kill me."

Dave and Balthazar walked down the staircase that led to Dave's lab, Balthazar carrying Isadora.

"His moral compass doesn't exactly point north," Balthazar retorted.

"Yeah? Well what about yours?"

Balthazar froze, turning to face his distraught apprentice.

"You haven't been completely truthful with me. That guy called me the Prime Merlinean. Balthazar, what is that? Now, I'm not doing anything else and you are not going anywhere with my sister until you start being truthful with me about what's going on." He took a deep breath. "Who is in that Grimhold?"

"Morgana," Balthazar replied.

They were in the lab now; Balthazar lay Isadora on her makeshift bed while Dave grabbed the Incantus. As he lit a few candles, Balthazar noticed some sort of writing on the insides of Izzie's wrists. He set the candle he was holding on the table and moved closer. He lifted her arm in order to get a better look.

_'Never Forget.'_

"Forget what?" Balthazar asked himself. He saw that the same words were tattooed onto her other wrist too. There were shreds of drawn ribbon surrounding the words.

"So you found them," Dave commented darkly, coming up to Balthazar's side.

"Found what, exactly," Balthazar demanded.

"Her memoirs," Dave replied. He sighed, sitting down next to Balthazar. "Look, before we start on this Morgana thing, there's something you need to know about my sister."

Balthazar nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Well, our mother died when we were five, our father when we were fourteen. We went to live with our aunt, Margaret, and her son and daughter, Matthew and Allison. They were always so kind to us."

"You see, when Mom died, Isadora retreated to her books. But even books were enough when our dad died. My sister started to-to _hurt_ herself, saying she deserved it. She said it was her fault for not keeping our parents around. She was always very protective of me, as if she was the older sibling, and everyone else that she loves. Including you, Balthazar. You're part of the family now."

Balthazar nodded, too taken aback to speak. He couldn't imagine sweet little Isadora _ever_ hurting herself purposefully.

"But you see, she doesn't trust anyone. She doesn't think anyone will stick around. Not even me, her own brother."

"Is that why she surrounds herself with so many people? The reason she likes to have everyone as a friend?" Balthazar wondered.

"Exactly. She never gets close enough to anyone to result in her getting hurt. Balthazar, she needs to keep faith in someone. That's where you come in," Dave said.

"No, I couldn't. I can't help her..."

"Be there for her. Then she'll be alright, I promise."

Dave left to go practice a new spell as Isadora began to stir. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the sorcerer.

"Balthazar? Is that you?"

Balthazar nodded, but his eyes were wary. Izzie saw this and gasped softly.

"Dave told you, didn't he?" Isadora said, sitting up. "He told you about-"

"You hurting yourself. Why would you do that, Isadora?" Balthazar exclaimed, blowing up on her. He was getting to the point where he could've started shaking her for her stupidity.

Izzie couldn't stop the tears from running down her face. "Now you hate me," she stated simply.

"What? I would _never_ hate you!" Balthazar yelled at her. "Don't you see? I lo-"

"See what?" Isadora retorted, interrupting him. "The fact that you're screaming at me? Look, Balthazar, I tried to open up and trust you, but I don't think I can anymore."

She ran out to the street, and began sprinting to the Chrysler Building.

"Isadora!" Balthazar shouted, running after her.

SASASA

Climbing onto the roof of the Chrysler Building, Balthazar heard crying.

"Isadora?" he called hesitantly. The sobbing got louder.

Balthazar walked onto the roof, following the sound. He came to a halt when he saw Izzie, curled up in a ball, staring out into the sky. "If I died, would anyone miss me?" she asked absently, twirling a piece of her hair around her index finger slowly.

"I know I would," Balthazar started. "And your brother. Becky, Jeff..."

"Jeff," she interrupted, laughing darkly. "I like him okay, but he doesn't count. I would never, ever love him."

"You wouldn't?" Balthazar asked hopefully.

"Nope."

Balthazar walked over to the redhead, wordlessly pulling her up and taking her into his arms. She began sobbing into his chest, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"It's not your fault," she cried.

"I know."

She bawled harder, mumbling 'thank you' over and over again into his jacket. She clutched him tighter to her.

"Tell me something about you no one knows," he implored her.

"I feel like we've done this before," she retorted.

"There's always a second time," he smirked. "Plus, you're not asking me any questions this time around. Now it's all me."

"Um... Well, I despise math," she offered.

"But physics has so much to do with-"

"I know," she interrupted. "But I do. I failed college geometry... twice. My brother was so upset; he thought we could be physics geeks together. It's why I majored in literature instead of physics, unlike my family's scientific legacy. Dave carried on that part."

"Interesting," Balthazar muttered.

"But actually, a lot of people know about that," she added softly, embarrassed, pulling away from his arms.

"I can tell you something that Dave doesn't even know," she said matter-of-factly, gazing out over the city.

"What's that?" Balthazar asked, coming up behind her.

"My doctor diagnosed me with some sort of heart disease last month," she whispered. "And I'm scared, Balthazar."

"Do you trust me?" Balthazar questioned suddenly.

"I-"

_"Do you trust me?"_

"I'll try," she said quietly.

"Close your eyes, Isadora," Balthazar ordered softly.

She did.

"Now, picture somewhere you've always wanted to go."

She pictured white, sandy beaches, with the wind blowing in her face, the watery sand beneath her toes, the waves crashing in her ears...

Suddenly, everything felt clearer. "Open your eyes," Balthazar instructed.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself on a beach. A beautiful white, sandy beach. She was wearing a black, two-piece swimsuit, and for the first time, Balthazar could see the sewed up cut directly over her heart.

"It's so beautiful, Balthazar, thank you," she whispered softly.

"You're very welcome," Balthazar replied.

"C'mon," he smiled at her. "Let's go swimming."

"Uh... I don't exactly know how to swim," Izzie said shyly.

"I used to swim all the time when I was a little kid. I'll teach you," Balthazar offered, taking her by both hands and drawing her into the water.

And so he did.

SASASA

Isadora's hair was still damp from Balthazar and her's little escapade.

In the past four hours, she'd been taught how to swim. After that, Balthazar had sat down in the sand with her and urged her to tell him more about her heart problem. She told him everything.

Tomorrow, she was supposed to have surgery at a very good hospital that was about ten miles away from the NYU campus. It was actually one of the reasons she came down here, other than Dave's birthday. She had already had open heart surgery once, and now the risks were even more heightened.

"I'm not going to tell Dave," she had added. "It'd be too complicated."

"They're going to fix it," Balthazar had murmured firmly and resolutely. "They're going to help you."

"I hope," she had replied.

Now, they were sitting in the lab, Isadora leaning over both her brother's and Balthazar's shoulders to see the Incantus. They had called dibs on chairs, and unfortunately Izzie was last. Both Balthazar and Dave had offered to give her their chair, but she declined, saying that they both won their chairs fair and square. The sorcerer was just about to tell them about Morgana.

"Morgana," Balthazar motioned towards a picture in the Incantus of a woman wearing a long, black, medieval dress. She had her hands raised, palms facing up, above her head and towards the sky. There dead bodies rising all around her. "She was making preparations for the Rising. Something that would enable her to enslave mankind by resurrecting dead Morganian sorcerers."

Dave motioned towards the Grimhold. "So after the witch girl, there's another doll that contains the greatest evil the world has ever known?"

"She is in the last doll," Balthazar shrugged.

"And, what does it all have to do with this... Prime Merlinean?"

"Merlin had three apprentices. As you know, I was one of them."

"I still can't believe that you went through all that history," Isadora spoke up for the first time. "So much pain..."

"It was a long journey," Balthazar replied quietly.

Dave reached up and held his sister's hand. They might tease each other like crazy, but Dave would always be there for her, for better or for worst.

"How did you _survive_ this long?" Dave asked, astounded.

"He cast a spell to keep us from aging, until we found the sorcerer who would inherit his power," Balthazar looked down, gazing at Dave and Izzie's entwined hands. "... and his dragon ring."

Dave pulled his hand away from Isadora's, staring at the ancient looking ring.

"Some part of you, no matter how small, must share the same blood." He looked up at Izzie. "In fact, in since you're twins ,you too, my dear."

"As Merlin?" Dave exclaimed. Isadora was speechless, stumbling into the chair next to Balthazar. She couldn't even stand upright.

They were _descendants _of _Merlin?_

"Great men have always been called," Balthazar explained, standing up. "This is your calling."

The sorcerer folded his hands behind his back. "Merlin said, the only one who will ever be able to destroy Morgana once and for all _is_ the Prime Merlinean," he explained, emphasizing the _is._ This wasn't in the past; this was taking place now.

"There's no other options?" Isadora asked, hoping that there was a way for Morgana to already be dead. Balthazar shook his head regretfully, relaxing a little bit when she placed her hand on his arm. It was a gesture of support.

"So I'm supposed to save the world," Dave realized. "I just don't think I'm up for that."

Isadora felt Balthazar tense under her hand. He was slowly and steadily growing angry. "Do you think I've been teaching you magic tricks for some little girl's tea party?" he asked sarcastically.

Balthazar purposefully sauntered into the circle, making Isadora's hand fall limply to her side, but not for long. Dave grabbed it tightly, and the redhead squeezed his hand for reassurance. "He won't hurt you," she whispered. "I-I trust him."

Dave stared at her in amazement, but had to turn back to the original argument as Balthazar spoke up from inside the now fire-ringed circle. The orange and red fire blazed brightly in the dark room, which had been only lit up with a few candles.

"When you stepped inside this circle, I told you there was no going back. You took an oath!"

Dave had never seen Balthazar so angry. "I have been searching a thousand years for you: fighting Morganians, protecting the Grimhold." He walked closer to his apprentice, leaning in. "You're going to set me free."

"You have to become the Prime Merlinean. And I'm not asking."

Dave looked down at his ring cynically, walking off into the corner where his bed was.

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" Isadora asked, apprehensive towards her brother's odd attitude. Even for him.

"Don't worry," Balthazar told her. "I have training planned all day tomorrow. I'll keep your secret, don't worry," he repeated again.

Balthazar walked to the bed he'd taken for the past few days.

"Why do I get the feeling I should worry," she murmured wryly.

Isadora showered and got ready for bed, laying down. It was then that it hit her. 'I'm having open heart surgery tomorrow,' she thought, beginning to freak out. 'I could die.'

Isadora Stutler cried herself to sleep.

SASASA

There you go!

Enough angst? Don't worry (God I have _got _to stop saying that!) it will end happily! (I hope…)

So, let me know! I got a review saying Isadora was kind of turning into a Mary-Sue, so I went back and reread the last chapter, and kind of agreed… so now she has slight trust issues and a heart problem. (Which I can relate to; I have a friend who's mom just had open heart surgery… She's okay though!)

Anyways, I wanted to clear up the fact that Isadora and Jeff are not romantically involved in the least! They're just friends who share some of the same interests. It was all in Balthazar's imagination. (Hey, a jealous Balthazar is a hot Balthazar!)

Unfortunately, Horvath's weird twisted interest is true. (It's necessary for a part coming up in this story) So sorry guys! *Yuck*

-lala-


	10. Of Tank, Coffee, and Healing

**So **sorry this has taken so long guys; my computer had to go in for repairs!

Don't worry! It's healed now!

So this is kind of a filler chapter before the mop scene! (No Izzie in that) So it's kind of pointless… Isadora and Balthazar fluff!

**Warning:** There is some stuff about Christianity in this chapter… so if you're hard-core religious… I just don't want any flames about my religion please!

Disclaimer: Don't own Nicolas Cage, never will… *cries* I'll get over it… eventually…

**The Twin**

**Of Tank, Coffee, and Healing**

Isadora woke up to someone practically assaulting her.

She opened her eyes and noticed it was Balthazar who was shaking her. He had a wide grin on his face, but she was angry about being woken up.

"Geez, Balthazar, I'm awake! Would you please stop?"

Balthazar jerked to a stop, still smiling down on her. Nothing, not even her bad mood, could kill his buzz today. "Guess what?"

"What?" she yawned, sitting up and stretching.

"You missed your surgery," he commented.

"_What_?" she yelled, throwing off her blanket. "I have to get to the hospital."

"Calm down, Isadora," Balthazar soothed. "You don't need the surgery."

"Why on earth not!" she exclaimed, impatiently waiting for an answer.

"Because I can heal you."

Isadora froze, staring at the sorcerer. "You can do that?"

"Of course," Balthazar smirked. "I'm a sorcerer. I just can't believe I didn't think of it yesterday."

"Now lay down," he ordered. Isadora obediently did so.

"Hold still."

Balthazar waved both his hands over her heart, a soft, warm glow emanating from his fingertips. Isadora felt a white hot flash of pain, then it was all over. She sat up slowly.

"You might have fainting spells every now and then, and you shouldn't get too excited, but otherw-"

Isadora literally jumped him, squeezing the sorcerer tightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Izzie shouted gratefully.

"And I'm sorry," she quieted down. "I shouldn't have pulled such a big confession on you so soon. I haven't known you long enough."

"And I'm sorry I made you learn how to swim. It was kind of random, wasn't it?" he asked, laughing.

"It was, but I enjoyed it," She whispered softly. Their lips were inches apart...

They were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

Isadora pulled away, blushing, stumbling over multiple things to get to the door.

'Whoever that is, I'm going to kill them,' Balthazar thought, furious.

"Jeff! What are you doing here!"

Balthazar just grinned.

'This is going to be fun.'

This was what Balthazar was thinking as he walked up the staircase.

"Hello Jeff!" Balthazar greeted, wrapping an arm around Izzie's waist.

Jeff looked confused. "I-"

Balthazar did the only thing he could to stop Geoffrey from asking any questions.

He punched him, knocking him out. Again.

Izzie gasped. "Oh my god! Why would you do that?"

"It was necessary. I can't let him ask any more questions," Balthazar explained emotionlessly. He turned walking down the stairs. "Go wake your brother."

Isadora rolled her eyes. He was still using that I'm-older-than-you-so-you-have-to-do-all-the-dirty-work voice. And the curious thing was:

She was beginning to actually _like_ it.

SASASA

"Okay, so how will I know when I'm... it? The-Uh... Prime Merlinean?"

Dave sat down, exhausted from his continuous training. Isadora was reading one of her brother's physics books that he had lying around; she might as well as been sleeping. She had no idea how Dave had actually read this. It took the phrase 'bored to death' to the next level. Balthazar was about five feet away from her reading, yes, you guessed it, the Incantus.

"Maybe you'll sprout wings and begin to fly," Isadora offered sarcastically.

Balthazar ignored her. "The Prime Merlinean will become so powerful within, he no longer needs his ring to cast magic. When you can do that, you're ready to take on Morgana."

"On a lighter note," Dave started. "Why is Professor Aurealis out like a light right outside the lab door?"

Balthazar began to say something, but Izzie cut him off. "Your master punched him."

"Really, Balthazar? You can't just go around punching people. Especially twice in a row."

"I couldn't let him ask anymore questi-"

"Wait... what Balthazar? When was this other time?"

"Uh... When you were knocked out by Horvath after you beat up Drake?" Balthazar tentatively replied.

"Oh my God," Isadora mumbled, burying her face into her hands.

It was then Dave noticed that Balthazar had brought his dog to the lab.

"Tank! What is he doing here?" Dave asked exasperatedly.

"Balthazar wanted you to examine your own species," Isadora quipped, smirking.

Again, Balthazar ignored her, beckoning Dave forward. When all of Balthazar's attention was on Dave, Izzie grabbed his copy of Don Quixote, settling into a good work of literature. She was sick of reading Dave's stupid physics books.

"This should be good," Dave whispered under his breath, getting up and walking over to Balthazar.

"Schematic for a fusion spell," Balthazar explained, pointing to the scroll he was looking at. "The merging of two souls into one physical body. I've only ever seen one sorcerer successfully pull off human fusion."

"And Tank is here for..." Dave trailed off.

"Practice," Balthazar looked up at him with his 'I would never hurt your dog' eyes.

Dave wasn't having any of it. "Are you telling me you're trying to possess Tank?" he asked, incredulous.

Both Balthazar and Dave turned to look at the dog, who was in the process of farting. Balthazar grew quite a bit uncertain. "Yeah... I'm not so sure it's the _best_ idea, either."

"No," Dave whined, shaking his head as Balthazar got up to get a better look at Tank.

Suddenly, Dave seemed to notice the clock. "Oh, man," he murmured. He turned to look at his master, putting on his best pleading face. Unfortunately, his never worked quite as well as Isadora's.

"Becky's coming now, and I'm standing in a puddle of pop... I need to stop and clean."

"We're not done training," Balthazar informed him, hoping it would make a difference.

Dave exhaled, trying to talk some 'sense' into the sorcerer. "Balthazar, I've been waiting for fifteen years to see this girl again. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

Balthazar got quiet all of the sudden. "When I come back, you better be focused."

He walked towards the door. Isadora came up behind Dave, punching him in the arm. "Ow," Dave cringed, "what was that for?"

"You idiot," she hissed to her brother. "Of course he knows what it's like! He's been wandering the world for at least 1300 years. Don't you think he's found love every once in a while? Insensitive jerk," she added, bounding after Balthazar.

"Look, Izzie, I'm sorry!" Dave shouted after her. She didn't even look back. 'I hate her mood swings,' Dave thought.

'Now, where do I keep the mops?'

SASASA

"Balthazar! Balthazar, wait up!"

The sorcerer in question turned, his eyebrows raised, silently asked what she wanted. Isadora came skidding to a stop in front of him. "I just want to talk," she smiled.

"Okay..." Balthazar said uncertainly. "About what?"

Isadora pondered that for a minute; she didn't really care _what_ they talked about, she just wanted to hear his voice. "Uh..."

"It's Sunday, right?" Balthazar interrupted, sort of randomly.

"Yeah, why?"

"I want to show you something," he said by way of explanation.

"Okay," Isadora agreed, getting into the car.

"By the way," Balthazar started. Izzie turned to look at him.

"I know you stole my copy of Don Quixote."

"Damn, I thought I was smooth," she blushed.

"Apparently not smooth enough."

SASASA

Balthazar drove for about twenty minutes, then stopped, starting to get out of the car. The building in front of them was huge; many cars were parked next to them, other people getting out.

Isadora gasped. They were in front of a _church._

"Come on," Balthazar urged her. "We don't want to be late."

"Balthazar no! I haven't been to church in like… fifteen years!"

"Same here," he pointed out.

"Touché," she replied, sighing as she got out of the old car. "We're not even dressed up."

"Look down."

Isadora did, eyes widening. She was wearing a green, long-sleeved dress shirt and khakis. She looked down out her feet, seeing respectable flats instead of the converses she had been sporting earlier. "How?" she trailed off.

"I'm a sorcerer, remember?" Balthazar reminded her, amused.

"I feel like an idiot."

They walked through the huge double doors, Izzie feeling like a fat, juicy chicken in the middle of KFC. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, now greet the priest," Balthazar ordered, back into 'Master mode'.

Balthazar shook his hand. The old man smiled. "It is so nice to have visitors. May I inquire as to your name?"

"Balthazar Blake," the sorcerer offered.

The priest turned to Isadora. "And this must be your wife," the priest greeted, holding out his hand. Isadora was about to correct him, but she saw Balthazar shake his head subtly. Izzie shrugged, maybe it was a cover-up.

"Isadora S-Blake," she greeted, catching herself. She beamed at the man.

"It's wonderful to meet you both. I hope you enjoy the service."

"I'm sure we will," Balthazar said, leading her into the large room.

Isadora gasped. It was so beautiful. The stained glass windows threw an odd colored light on the room, making the cherry wood shine every color of the rainbow. Candles lit the room so it glowed a soft yellow. A large wooden cross stood proudly in front of them.

Balthazar bowed his head to the cross, and Isadora quickly copied him. She was tense; it felt awkward being in the house of God for the first time since her mother died. Her father was cremated; he had not wanted a service. He pulled her towards the back, helping her sit before he sat down next to her. "Why are you so afraid?" Balthazar asked, feeling her anxiousness.

"Nothing," she replied quickly.

"Bull… crap," he retorted, not wanting to curse in the church.

"I don't believe in God," Isadora returned hesitantly.

"Why not?"

"He took so many things from me… if there was a God, why would he give me so much pain?" she exclaimed, her voice rising.

"Child, he loves every one of us," a voice came from behind them. Both Balthazar and Isadora looked up; the priest stared at them sadly.

Isadora quieted immediately, ignoring Balthazar's attempts to make her talk to him. People kept filing in, and the program started. Eventually it was time for the sermon.

"We have a slight change of plans today, my friends," the priest called, looking directly at Isadora. "I was planning on doing this lesson two weeks from now, but let's just say... there's someone here right now that needs it."

There was murmuring around the church. Balthazar looked at Isadora, and vice versa. They glanced up when the priest spoke again.

"This is a lesson about faith."

Isadora started, watching the priest with wide eyes. The old man gave her a knowing look, then began to preach.

As he began to speak, Izzie hesitantly rested her hand on Balthazar's, testing his reaction. He only smiled, twining his fingers with her's, squeezing gently to show his support.

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. That was from Matthew 17:20. Faith is important in all things, especially when it comes to believing in God..."

The priest went on and on about faith. Some of the young children fell asleep, not grasping the immense meaning of the words of the wise man. Isadora was not bored like she'd thought she would've been. She was leaning forward in her pew, listening intently… finally getting it. Getting the meaning of this world... _and_ the next.

Soon the service was over, and Isadora silently walked out of the pew, Balthazar following her equally quietly. They both thanked the priest, flinching as they heard the thunder outside.

Isadora, on an impulse and grinning widely, threw her arms around the frail old man, clutching his shoulders tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

"You're welcome, my dear. I hope to see you both soon," he said, almost condescendingly. They both gulped, vowing to come if they defeated Morgana.

"Definitely," Balthazar agreed, pulling her towards the door.

"Thanks, Balthazar," Isadora whispered seriously.

"Of course," he replied. "Before we go outside, I have something to give you."

"What is it?"

He pulled out a beautiful, antique-looking ring, sliding it onto her finger.

"You're not proposing, I hope," she laughed dryly.

He pulled her forward, whispering what the ring was for in her ear. Her eyes kept on widening at every word. "Whoa..."

"You'll keep it safe?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Good. Now, let's get soaked!"

"You didn't bring an umbrella?"

"No."

"I loathe you," she grumbled as they stepped outside.

SASASA

Balthazar and the redhead ran out of the church and into the rain, the girl gesticulating wildly as she told some outrageous story. Balthazar gently removed a soaked strand of hair from her line of vision, tucking it behind her ear; the girl blushed, bringing up a hand to run her fingers through her wet hair nervously. Something on her middle finger flashed.

Horvath gasped. He couldn't believe Balthazar had given this girl the Transformation Ring. A ring so powerful it was second only to Merlin's own ring. Balthazar must trust this girl a whole lot more than he perceived at first. Horvath sneered. Interesting.

This whole revenge idea just got a whole lot better.

SASASA

Yes, a sorcerer is scared of a priest (hey _mine _is freaky like that) and No, Horvath is not there because he goes to church.

Just deepening Balthazar's and Izzie's relationship… fun. Izzie's fainting spells will unfortunately come into play later. Ever notice that people with that kind of problem always faint at the **worst** times? *wink wink nudge nudge*

So that's my new ring! I'm sure it's rather obvious what it's for, but any guesses?

Sorry I knocked Jeff out again; it is crucial to something in the next chapter! (And I couldn't resist…)

-lala-


	11. Of Mops, Arguments, and Chickens

Sorry, you guys! I've had a crazy hectic month, or else I would be updating more frequently!

So, about the overhanging and the loft thing, it's basically the thing Balthazar's standing on when he shouts 'Disperse!' I wasn't exactly sure what you call that thing, but now y'all know what I'm talking about at least!

So, on a lighter, non-story note, I was watching _Knowing _this weekend, and, if you haven't seen it, it's a totally awesome thriller! So if you like stuff like that, check it out!

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will… Unless I become a sorcerer and take over the world! *evil laugh* Wait a sec, scratch that. Then I wouldn't be with Nick, I'd be with the chubby guy who plays Horvath… *yucky*

**The Twin**

**Of Mops, Arguments, and Chickens**

Dave opened up the cleaning closet, taking out a bunch of cleaning supplies. This would be including mops, brushes, brooms, sprays, and washcloths.

He began to mop up the mess, picking up a Pepsi can on the way.

"This is really sticky," he mumbled to himself. He looked at the clock. "I'm doomed."

Tank, in this moment of absolute despair, took the liberty of peeing on one of Dave's many wires. "Thank you," Dave muttered sarcastically. Now he was _really_ doomed.

Suddenly, Dave noticed the Incantus that was lying on the table. Then he got an idea. A wonderful idea.

The sorcerer's apprentice got a wonderful, awful idea.

He flipped through the Incantus, finally finding the spell that he was looking for. He stepped into Merlin's circle, spreading out his hands.

He made an upwards motion with one of them, making the nearest mop come to life. He moved his fingers back and forth, and the mop did the same. Feeling the power rush through him, Dave made the other cleaning supplies come alive.

Dave looked around, satisfied, before leaving the room. He _really_ needed a shower.

SASASA

Dave walked down the hallway to the lab, feeling good. He was clean, his lab was...

When he opened the door to the abandoned subway turnaround, he realized his lab was definitely not... clean.

Water flooded the place, with mops and brooms _everywhere_. Dave ran around, trying to control it, but nothing would work. In fact, when he tried to gain control, he got sprayed in the face with toilet cleaner. He was holding down a mop, trying to cut it in half, thinking, 'This could _not_ get any worse.'

The light rapping sounded from the door.

Dave knew that there were only three people who would show up at his apartment, and he was positive neither Balthazar nor Isadora would ever bother to be polite enough to knock. So it could only be one person. Dave groaned in horror. "Becky."

It just got worse.

Dave opened the door. "Hey," the pretty blonde smiled excitedly.

"Hey... you're on time," Dave replied uneasily.

"You forgot, huh," Becky concluded, looking a bit disappointed.

"No, I didn't forge- ahhhh," Dave yelled, surprised, one of the mop's strands inching towards his ear.

"Is everything okay?" Becky asked, worried.

"Me? How are you doi- ah!" Dave flinched.

"I'm good," Becky answered cautiously.

Dave gasped when the mop thumped against his back. "Probably best for you to... leave. Oh my… what am I saying..."

Becky nodded, obviously quite a bit hurt. "Okay, okay, I will go."

"I'm sorry," Dave apologized. "I'm having issues," he trailed off, practically slamming the door in her face. Becky was stunned, but turned to leave anyways.

She guessed she would just go hang out with her friends at the coffee shop.

Dave turned to look at the mess he had made, watching all his efforts crumble away.

What on earth could he do now?

SASASA

Balthazar and Isadora got out of the car, walking towards Dave's lab, also known as Dave's torturing/training space. They both stopped outside the door, staring at the prone body of Jeff. He was, amazingly, _still_ out.

"That's just ridiculous," Isadora commented. "Unless you punched him _really_ hard, he'd be up by now."

Balthazar looked sheepish.

Izzie gasped. "Oh, _come on_! Balthazar Blake, I cannot believe you," she admonished.

Balthazar raised his eyebrows at her, then roughly scooped up the body. "You go ahead in. I'll take Mr. Aurealis outside."

Isadora rolled her eyes at him. "Your medieval stiffness is getting to me," she joked.

Balthazar smiled and turned to walk outside and into the streets. He needed to make sure Geoffrey woke up as far away from this place as possible.

Izzie looked at the door, suddenly hearing an odd noise coming from inside of it. She stared at it, puzzled. The sound reminded her of a chicken being ran ove-

Dave!

She hurriedly turned the doorknob, rushing into the room. She stood on the walkway hanging over the room, hands tightly holding the cool, metal, railing. Her eyes became huge at the sight that awaited her.

Water was everywhere.

There were mops dancing around, looking like they were trying to clean but really just making it worse. Things were falling over left and right, and as one of Dave's Tesla coils collapsed into the water, the water began to run rampant with electrical energy. Dave himself was clutching another Telsa coil, about to fall into the electricity filled water below him.

"Dave!" Izzie screamed, reaching out helplessly for her geeky brother. Her head whipped towards the door. "Hurry Balthazar!" she yelled in the general direction of the street, hoping the sorcerer would hear her.

Suddenly, another Tesla coil -luckily not the one that Dave was standing on- fell into the water. Instead of filling the water with electrical energy, like the other one had, this burst of electricity shot straight up for the nearest source of new energy: the old light hanging right above Isadora's head.

The hanging lamp swung precariously, then plummeted towards the loft that Isadora was standing on. The light crashed to the floor, making the overhanging jerk forward.

Isadora was flung over the side of the loft, barely managing to gain enough sense to grasp onto the slippery edge of the walkway. She sighed in relief, then realized exactly how shaky the situation she was in was. She was hanging by a thin figurative thread; the slightest movement or loss of grip would send her into the electrical chasm waiting about twelve feet below her toes. She began to hyperventilate, her delicate heart beating faster and faster, harder and harder.

And then she heard it.

It was just a slight stutter, an unsteady beat of her heart, and the world slowly turned black.

'I guess Balthazar was right about not getting overexcited.'

SASASA

Dave screamed his sister's name.

Her grasp on the metal edge of the overhang had just slipped, and now she was falling to her death.

_And it was all his fault._

In the time he had been thinking this, the Tesla coil he had been hugging tightly began to fall into the dancing electricity too. Now at least he would die too so he couldn't feel any guilt. Except the guilt about sending the world into ruin because of crazy, evil sorcerers.

He closed his eyes tightly, preparing for the impact. After not dying for about five seconds, Dave cracked an eye open, staring at the water that he was frozen directly above. It was only inches from his face.

His angled his head up to see what had happened, and, of course, to see if Izzie was alright. He saw his sister hanging in midair, seemingly unhurt but still unconscious. His master was standing on the overhang, in all his magical glory, one palm stretched out to keep the brother and sister suspended. When they were 'magically secured', Balthazar waved his arms around, yelling:

"Disperse!"

The water instantly drained away, and when Balthazar flicked his wrist, Dave fell to the floor with a thump. The physics geek groaned.

Balthazar made Isadora rise, tenderly pulling her over the railing, cradling her in his arms as he lowered her body to the floor. The sorcerer was pissed off at Dave's carelessness, but he needed to make sure _his_ Isadora was alright before he chewed out his apprentice. He waited about a minute, Dave sitting on the floor crossed- legged. His head was low and he stayed absolutely quiet, seeming to understand the horrible extent of what he had done wrong. The redhead woke up with a jerk and a gasp. She clutched her hand to her heart, relaxing as she felt its regular, steady beat. Her hair was frazzled and her eyes were glassy, making her look as though she had just been electrocuted.

Looking up into Balthazar's emerald eyes, she realized something. Something extremely important.

'Could I actually like... _like_ this guy?'

But Balthazar looked cold and clinical, instantly bringing her out of her little epiphany. "You're alright?" he asked sharply. "Your heart feels normal again?"

She could only nod, feeling a bit hurt. He stood up from his crouch next to her, glaring angrily down at her brother. She felt relief wash over her. 'He's not angry with me, he's angry with Dave.'

Then the tension returned with vengeance. 'That's still not a _good_ thing.'

"You have abused the sacred art. You have abused the Merlin circle." Balthazar paused. "You almost _killed_ your own sister with your reckless foolishness." He stared at Dave coldly. All his features were carefully arranged in his 'absolutely livid' mask.

Isadora watched with wide eyes as the fight played out between the master and apprentice. She knew Dave wouldn't stand being completely talked down to, even if he had done something wrong. Although she knew nothing good could come from this, she knew Balthazar and Dave needed to get this whole thing sorted out. Though neither would admit it, they both needed each other desperately. Balthazar frantically craved company after 1300 years of living in absolute solitude and utter secret. Dave needed a prominent male figure in his life, like a father or older brother, whether he wanted it or not. Izzie was just there, paralyzed as the two people who mattered most to her right now grew apart even more. If only they weren't so shielded.

Of course, with that reason, she didn't really have the right to say anything. She would _not_ be a hypocrite.

"Magic isn't a game," Balthazar lectured, downright furious. "No short cuts!"

Dave slowly got up, astounded. Balthazar had never raised his voice at him before. In fact, he had never heard Balthazar raise his voice at _anyone. _Period.

"Falling in that water and getting electrocuted: that's how a sorcerer loses his power."

Dave hopelessly threw his hands up in the air. "What rule is that? Fourteen? Twenty-seven? I can't even remember!"

Balthazar began to walk down the stairs towards his apprentice. Izzie watched them have it out with apprehension.

"What difference does it make when it's obvious I can't even control a few mops?" Dave implored defensively.

Balthazar finally realized what this was all about. Dave didn't believe in himself.

Maybe Isadora had quite a few problems of her own, but they were the complete opposite of her brother's. When being a sorcerer, believing that the best you could do would save everything sometimes was the difference between good and evil. He had to try to get Dave to realize that.

"The stronger the man, the stronger the sorcerer."

"Thank you for another useless motto," Dave said exasperatedly.

"Well, I have another one for you: you will not control your magic if you will not control yourself! You need to stop your worrying and start believing in yourself!" Balthazar retorted, praying that Dave would understand.

"Is that what you do?"

Balthazar came to a stop in front of the boy. By now, Isadora had hoisted herself up and was, as quietly as possible, making her way down the stairs. This conversation was not going as she would've liked it to.

"What I do is not the point."

"I think it is. I'm convinced you exist purely to make my life a living hell," Dave responded, instantly regretting it the moment the words left his mouth. But he wasn't about to apologize.

Isadora gasped, losing balance and falling down the stairs. She really was being a klutz lately. Both sorcerers' hands stretched towards her, steadying her. It was almost a subconscious reaction to her being in danger for both of them; their eyes never left the other's.

Isadora murmured a quick 'thank you', but she was pretty sure neither Balthazar nor Dave heard her at all.

"You don't know _anything_ about a living hell," Balthazar said quietly, maintaining complete eye contact with his apprentice.

Dave was the first to look away.

"You're making progress," Balthazar commented, also averting his eyes.

"No, I'm not making progress," Dave said, taking off his ring. "No ring, right?"

He stretched his hand out, motioning to a chair. He concentrated hard, but nothing happened. "No magic. I can't move the chairs. I can't do it!"

In frustration, Dave walked towards his sister, who was sitting on the staircase. He made sure she was okay, checking her over for any injuries. When he was certain she was fine, he sat down next to her, taking off his 'old man' shoes. Balthazar was quiet.

"It's not me, Balthazar," Dave admitted, getting up and pulling his shoes out of a nearby dresser. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm not _it_. I'm not a hero. I'm not the Prime Merlinean. I'm just a physics nerd who looks really, _really_ stupid in these shoes," he said, holding up one of the old man shoes.

In any other occasion, Izzie would've laughed.

Dave brushed past both his sister and his master, running out the door. Isadora turned to Balthazar.

"Look, I'll get him to come back, but think on this. I know Dave has to go and help... save the world and such, but did you ever think it might weigh a little heavily on him too? Even though it was wrong for him, hell, for _both_ of you to say the things that you've said tonight, did you ever think Dave might have some of the pressure from this whole thing thrown on him too?"

Isadora tore off after her brother, leaving Balthazar standing there, his mouth left open and words left unsaid.

SASASA

That's that!

You'll have to wait until the next chapter for Dave and Balthazar to make up… of course, after Mr. Horvath joins the picture…

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the Grinch reference, and the chapter overall! (I was totally seeing the Grinchy smile when I wrote that part!)

Review!

-lala-


	12. Of Pep Talks, Offers, and Shotgun

Hey, you guys!

So I got this chapter up a little faster than the last one (it's a improvement!) and am currently working on the next! If nothing crazy comes up, I might have it up by Sunday(maybe). I want it to be perfect, especially the part where Balthazar and Izzie… no, I shouldn't give it away…

Anyways, I've been listening to ABBA all week, and the next chapter will probably reflect that, and maybe this one a little. (In fact, I'm listening to it while I write this!)

I'll shut up now…

Disclaimer: So, I don't own this (or Star Wars), so I can't shoot plasma bolts (or telepathically move things) … oh well, I guess the world's better off without _that _happening…

**The Twin**

**Of Pep Talks, Offers, and Shotgun **

Dave stood on top of the Chrysler Building, ready to throw Merlin's ring off the side of the skyscraper. He never wanted to see the stupid, magical piece of jewelry again.

"Wait," a voice called softly from behind him. He didn't even have to turn to know who it was.

Dave sighed in resignation. "Izzie." He shoved the ring back inside his jean pocket, still not turning to look at his sister.

"How did you know I would be here?"

"Balthazar told me about this place yesterday, and I know you seek high ground when you're upset," she reasoned.

"Yeah, well, I have a right to be upset," Dave said defensively.

"Do you, now?" Isadora commented innocently. She walked forward so that she was standing right next to him, leaning on the rail. Dave spun around to face her, enraged.

"Of course! You just have it _so_ easy, you know that? Everyone immediately loves you, and I actually have to work for that!" he accused. "Not that it works," he added, mumbling.

Isadora laughed, incredulous. "So that's what you believe, huh? That I just _magically_ gain everybody's respect and admiration? You're wrong."

"Am I, now?" he questioned, just as innocuously as she had a few seconds before.

"Sometimes I don't think you get it," the redhead indicted. "The entire _world_ revolves around your decision right now. Make the right one."

Isadora tore herself away from the railing, shaking her head softly as she walked purposefully towards the exit, not looking back. Dave felt a small twinge of regret.

As Izzie walked down the stairs, she passed Becky, who was headed up. Isadora assumed she had followed Dave.

The two girls exchanged knowing glances, then Izzie spoke enthusiastically. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

Becky smiled, grateful for the encouragement. "I'll try," she put out hesitantly.

"You better," Izzie replied playfully, easing the mood. "I'm counting on you."

Becky only grinned again, then took off up the stairs.

SASASA

Dave twitched.

He knew he should go and make amends with Balthazar, but he wanted it to be sincere. The apology -hopefully repeated on his master's part- wouldn't be sincere as long as he was still harboring doubts. Even though Isadora had alleviated some of them with her 'pep talk', he was still unsure. Especially of himself.

"Dave?"

The physics geek turned around, noticing Becky had come up behind him. 'What is this? Grand Central Station?' he thought wryly.

The blonde stopped about three feet away from him, looking down at her toes awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?" Dave asked, confused.

"I saw you outside the coffee shop," Becky admitted. Dave squeezed his eyes shut tightly; he knew he shouldn't have stopped to admire her from the window of that popular café, even for a mere second. "So I followed you," she added. "You looked a little more... distressed than usual."

"That bad, huh?" Dave glanced up at her.

"Did you really think that one botched date was going to make me _hate_ you forever?" Becky asked, astounded.

Dave thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yeah," he agreed.

"I do have to ask you this one thing," Becky told him quietly, changing the subject.

Dave nodded slowly, freaking out a little. What if she noticed something weird going on? What if she knew about magic? What if-

"What are you doing up here," she asked, more like blurted, motioning towards the building. Dave let out a huge sigh of relief.

"A friend of mine brought me here once," he replied. He didn't mention any names; after all, it was Balthazar who had shown him this place, and Becky thought Balthazar was his harmless, witty uncle. 'I wish,' he thought.

"And... um... the height doesn't bother you?" she questioned, but it was more of a statement. Dave realized why she had been looking around nervously the entire time she had been up here. At least he wasn't the only one with fears around here.

"Are you afraid of heights?" he smiled amusedly. Of all the things that he was frightened of, heights definitely wasn't one of them. Especially after Balthazar's 'fun' little ride on that eagle. _That_ probably took away any fear of high places he'd ever had. All he had to do is think: nothing is worse than a ride on a Balthazar-controlled crazy steel eagle flying over downtown New York City.

"A little bit, yeah," she admitted in a high-pitched tone.

"Trust me," Dave soothed, reaching out a hand to her. She grasped it reluctantly. "C'mon! You're good, you're good. I promise," Dave reassured her, drawing her to the edge of the building.

"I..." she started nervously. Then, as she touched the railing and looked out in front of her, she noticed how beautiful the sight before her really was. "Wow..." she trailed off, awed at the stunning scene before her.

"Yeah," Dave said, knowingly. But he wasn't staring at New York, he was staring at the beautiful girl standing next to him. "Wow," he agreed.

Becky turned to him, smiling. "Do you remember when you drew King Kong on the bus window? And he lined up with the Empire State Building?" she asked.

Dave looked at her in astonishment. "You remember that?" he implored incredulously.

"It was cool," she admitted.

"You and your sister... you both saw the world in your own way," she commented.

"Izzie might've been like that, but I was just trying to impress you," he confessed.

"Well, it worked," Becky laughed. "Not bad for a ten year old kid."

"Oh right," Dave breathed, berating himself. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Becky asked, a bit perplexed at his vision of himself. Did he really believe he was _that_ bad of a guy?

"The bitter irony of the fact: that ten year old me is a lot cooler than twenty-five year old me," the apprentice explained.

"I think twenty-five year old Dave is... he's alright," Becky admitted, blushing a little.

"Like, 'alright' alright, or ALRIGHT alright?"

Becky laughed, genuinely amused. Sometimes Dave was _so_ funny, even when he didn't actually try to be. "I think he is... somewhere in the middle," she answered, growing a little more serious. She didn't want him to think she was messing around with him.

"Diplomatic answer," Dave approved, gazing out at New York. "And thank you," he added quickly.

'I have to go and apologize to Izzie and Balthazar,' he realized suddenly, and a little bit reluctantly. He didn't want to leave Becky quite yet. 'Maybe they'll really forgive me though… I've been such an uncaring jerk.'

"Better now than later," he mumbled to himself.

"Hmm?" Becky asked, turning towards him again.

"Oh... I have to go," Dave replied hesitantly. "I'll see you around?"

Becky smiled. "Of course." Dave was halfway down the stairs when the blonde called down to him. "And Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"Your sister really cares about you, remember that," she told him.

Dave smiled sadly. "I will." He continued down.

"One more thing," Becky shouted, her voice growing fainter and fainter.

"What?" Dave yelled up.

"You know they have elevators, right?"

Dave blushed, embarrassed. "Um... yeah... I knew that."

Becky's laugh echoed behind him.

SASASA

Balthazar picked the soggy Incantus off the stone floor, brushing some water off it.

"Hey."

Balthazar looked up, noticing Dave standing at the top of the stairs. "Hello. Your sister find you?"

"Yeah," he replied smoothly. "I'm sorry. I think you and I need to have a talk," he offered, walking closer to Balthazar until he was staring straight into the older man's eyes.

Balthazar gawked at him, secretly happy that this was so easy. Of course, that should've been a dead giveaway for Balthazar; with Dave, nothing was ever simple. "No apology necessary. Let us move on," he said monotonously, putting the box he had been carrying around down.

"You're a diamond, mate."

Wait, Dave didn't have an accent.

Balthazar's eyes darted around the figure, noticing black nail polish on the guy's hands.

'Damn.'

The sorcerer was blown across the room, landing on a fan. The copper wires swiftly wrapped around his wrists and ankles tightly securing him. He glanced up, watching Dave turn into Drake. It looked painful. 'What kind of magic do they teach young sorcerers these days? Too many of them look too pain-filled to actually conduct their electrical pulse, let alone to will it into the physical world,' Balthazar wondered, curious.

"Surprisingly well done," a voice admitted. Horvath slowly walked down the stairs. "Now go find the Grimhold," he ordered.

Drake jumped off the stairs, beginning to search the room. Balthazar watched helplessly as Horvath advanced on him. "You seem to have rather a soft spot for that boy," his old friend observed. "Has Balthazar made a new friend?"

"Balthazar!"

All three heads turned towards the door. There stood Isadora, staring at the scene with a horrorstruck expression on her face.. Suddenly, she felt a jerk. Faster than you could blink, she was up against the fan next to Balthazar.

"Ah! So I finally get to meet the lovely Isadora when she's conscious," Horvath said, grinning.

The girl squirmed in her metal bonds. "Let go of me!" she spoke indignantly.

"No can do, my dear," Horvath replied, mock-regretfully. "I'm afraid it's too likely that you'll try to help Balthazar here."

She glared at him.

"I don't see the Grimhold," Drake shrugged from across the room.

When Horvath was sufficiently distracted with his unruly sidekick, Balthazar leaned towards Izzie. "First of all, you don't _shout_ someone's name when two evil sorcerers have control of the entire situation and I am attached to a fan."

Isadora blushed, properly chastised. "Sorry about that," she murmured, embarrassed.

Balthazar's eyes softened a little. "I'm going to get us out, don't worry. So don't freak out when your wrists begin to feel hot."

Isadora nodded faintly as Horvath turned to face them again. "Clever Balthazar. Always up to his little tricks," he taunted. The evil sorcerer flicked his cane, dust coming out of it and traveling around the room.

Isadora tried hard not to flinch and/or groan when the metal around her wrists nearly burned her. She was glad that today she had worn that new jacket she had gotten at the store two days ago, or else the metal would be on her bare skin.

The metal softened enough so that she could break free, but when she attempted it, Balthazar stopped her with a glance. 'He has a plan,' she realized, instantly stilling. Luckily, Horvath didn't even notice.

By the time she looked up, Horvath was gazing triumphantly at Balthazar and her as he stroked the Grimhold. "It's lighter than I remember," he commented, walking up to the imprisoned duo.

Balthazar tried to reason with Horvath one more time. "We once fought together, Maxim."

"A lot has happened since those days," he retorted.

Izzie and Drake watched the two men, fascinated with the argument. "This isn't about that," Balthazar said, exasperated.

"Yes it is, Balthazar. It's always been about that. Veronica chose you, instead of me. The great Balthazar Blake!" Horvath glanced down. "My best friend," he added, quieter.

His voice rose again. "And now you have a new lady! Miss Isadora here. Does she know about your dear Veronica? Hmm, Balthazar?"

"Balthazar?" Izzie asked uncertainly.

"No, Isadora. Don't listen to him. He's trying to turn you against me and Dave," the sorcerer pleaded with her. Horvath laughed, turning away.

"If you change your mind, Isadora, I'm sure Morgana will reward you heavily if you become a Morganian."

"She's not magically inclined," Balthazar gritted out, practically burning a hole in Horvath by staring at him. Isadora could've laughed at the irony, but instead she silently flinched. She felt bad about not telling Balthazar about the plasma bolt incident, but the concealment was necessary… for the time being.

"Oh really?" the evil man said, surprised. "I wouldn't have guessed that. Well, the offer still stands."

"Forget it," Izzie raised her eyebrows at him, smirking.

"Your loss," Horvath shrugged, not showing how yet _another _let down by a pretty woman affected him. He turned back to Balthazar, more irritated than before. "Well, I'm going to let you watch me release Morgana. Let you watch your world crumble into _nothing_!"

At that exact second, Balthazar broke away from his bonds, letting loose a plasma bolt that sent Horvath flying across the room. Drake gathered his power, throwing Balthazar back against the fan. It shook hard enough to help Izzie break her ties; she wasn't strong enough to do it on her own. She fell to the floor beside Balthazar. Both of them, especially the sorcerer, were temporarily disoriented. Horvath opened his coat, revealing four sharp knives. He sent them flying towards Balthazar, and the man didn't have time to prepare.

"No!" Isadora shouted, throwing herself in front of him, bracing herself for the pain.

It didn't come.

She slowly opened her eyes to see the four daggers floating directly in front of her face. She looked up, Balthazar, Horvath, and Drake all following her gaze. She breathed deeply, relaxing a little.

There stood Dave, his ring thrust out in front of him, focusing on the knives. They dropped to the ground.

Isadora felt arms snake around her waist, pulling her against the man behind her. He gently yanked her behind him, subtly covering her from any more attacks. He laid one hand on the side of her head, weaving his fingers into her hair. Their faces were barely inches apart. "Are you hurt?" he whispered urgently.

She shook her head. Balthazar then glared at her, realizing something. "Why the hell did you do that?" he exclaimed lowly, not wanting Horvath to hear.

"If you die, the world will end when Morgana rules everything," she explained. "My life doesn't matter as much in the long run."

He stared at her, incredulous. He looked as though he was about to say something, when Dave interrupted them, pulling them both off the ground. "Nice catch," Balthazar complemented hesitantly, waiting to see the real Dave's reaction.

Isadora stood back and lingered for what Dave was going to say.

"I owed you one," Dave admitted. His sister sighed in relief, slinging her arm around her brother.

"They got the doll," Balthazar added.

"Let's get it back," Dave returned, determined, pulling his sister towards the stairs.

SASASA

The three of them, Dave holding Tank, stared at the car in front of them. Quick as a whip, Izzie called 'driver' and ran over to the other side. Just as quickly, Balthazar said 'shotgun', sliding into the car. Dave sighed.

'Why do I _always_ have to sit in the backseat?'

SASASA

There you go!

By the way, I'd like to thank every single one of my reviewers, especially the ones who repeatedly do it. We passed the fifty review mark! You guys are awesome!

The rest of you… follow their example!

Love you guys!

-lala-


	13. Of Ferraris, Pintos, and Confessions

So, this is the longer chapter I promised you guys like five chapters ago! *laughs nervously*

The italics are Balthazar's dream, and I hope you guys like my attempt at helping you to understand what's going on in Balthazar's head right now; he has some pretty tough decisions coming up!

Not a lot of Izzie/Balthazar in this chapter, but there is some twin stuff going on between Izzie and Dave, so that should be interesting!

Enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sorcerer's Apprentice, a Ferrari, or Nick Cage… life really isn't fair sometimes.

**The Twin**

**Of Ferraris, Pintos, and Confessions**

Isadora pulled out of the parking garage, spinning the steering wheel wildly to catch up with Drake.

"Hang on," she commanded.

She backed out into the street, pressing hard on the gas pedal. The car shot forward. "Hang on, Tank!" Dave said excitedly, putting his dog on the seat next to him and leaning forward. Okay, maybe he did like cars a little.

To catch up with Horvath, Izzie began weaving through slower moving cars, under Balthazar's instruction. He seemed to know what he was doing.

"Have you ever been in a car chase before?" Dave asked, wondering why his master was so good at this.

"No," Balthazar gritted out, "but I've seen them in movies."

'Oh, well that helps,' Dave thought sarcastically.

Isadora was quiet, producing a swift turn when the car in front of them suddenly swerved to the left. She looked puzzled, wondering where Horvath went. All she could see were a bunch of taxis.

"Whoa! What the-"

Balthazar interrupted his apprentice. "Horvath!" he began angrily. "He's in here somewhere."

"What do you mean?" asked Isadora distractedly, not picking up on what happened.

"Wait. He has the power to turn his car into a taxi?" Dave asked incredulously.

Well, her question was answered.

As his sister drove the car forward slowly, moving painstakingly with the traffic, Dave watched as Balthazar turned towards the backseat. "Use you ring and lock in on the Grimhold. Remember, it moves with the ring."

Balthazar left him to his job, still searching the surrounding cars for signs of Horvath and Drake.

Dave nodded. "Okay, yeah," he stuttered. "Right, right, right."

He held out his fist, Merlin's ring lighting up as he began to focus. He suddenly jerked his hand, nearly punching his sister in the face. She flinched. "Watch it!" she called, trying to focus on the road.

Out of the blue, a taxi in front of them swerved right, bumping into another taxi.

"Go! Go!" Balthazar yelled, pointing to said car. Izzie pushed harder on the gas, taking off. They gained on Horvath's taxi.

Dave noticed someone's -probably Horvath's- hand reach up on top of the car, magically changing the yellow taxi into a black Ferrari. They shot down the road.

Dave could hear Drake shout "Nice one" all the way from where they were. He stared in amazement as the car became a dot. "What the hell?" he exclaimed.

"Get ready," Balthazar murmured to Izzie. She nodded, a bit worried about what the semi-crazy sorcerer would do. He did recently spend fifteen years in an urn, after all.

The sorcerer took a deep breath, doing the same thing Horvath did. She could barely control the new, silver car as it shot after the Grimhold.

"Wow, look at that!" Dave smiled.

"What? I don't know how to drive a Ferrari!" the redhead exclaimed, worried.

She suddenly felt one hand cover her left one, the other grabbing the stick shift. "I got you covered Sis," Dave replied, grinning as he hung over her. Isadora smiled. "Hang on!"

If she had had time to think, Izzie would've pondered the irony of the fact that Horvath's car was black and theirs was a silvery white. But with Balthazar shouting instructions at her and Dave controlling her every move, she didn't really have that time.

"Oh my God," Dave muttered, his stomach hurting a bit after all that winding.

Isadora began to hum '_The Long and Winding Road' _by the Beatles. When Balthazar and Dave glared at her for interrupting their concentration, she quit, murmuring an excuse. "It seemed fit for the occasion."

Balthazar shrugged and nodded. "You've got a point. I think I'm actually car sick," Dave put in.

Both Balthazar and Izzie moved slightly away from him.

When Horvath pulled into a tunnel, Balthazar knew this was about to get interesting. Sure enough, his old friend sent billows of smoke back at them, making it hard to see where they were going. They had a few close calls, but they managed to make it out with little more than a good scare.

Izzie pulled up next to the black Ferrari. Balthazar saw the shimmering mirror a little too late.

With barely a nudge, they were in a reverse world.

"What the hell is this?" Dave asked, astounded and confused at all the backwards words and numbers.

"Yes, we drove through a mirror. This is more my forte, so if you'll excuse me..." Balthazar held up his hands motioning towards the wheel.

Dave's hands retreated, and his master's replaced them, covering her own. Trying to ignore the warm, glowing feeling his hands gave her's, she asked, insulted, "What am I? A doll?"

Both Dave and Balthazar ignored her. "We're trapped in a reverse world," the sorcerer added.

"So-"

Dave was interrupted. "It is, it is. Horvath's payback for the bathroom mirror."

Isadora didn't even _want_ to know.

Dave began again to say something, and again Balthazar interrupted him. "No, no. We won't die as long as we get out of here soon."

"Okay-"

"By driving through our own reflection."

"Fantastic," Dave sighed, wondering if he was really that predictable.

"Yes, yes you are," Izzie smiled.

"How-"

"I have my ways," she replied mysteriously.

Even Balthazar had to chuckle at that.

Suddenly Dave saw their reflection. "There," he pointed to it. "In the window."

"This is it," Balthazar breathed. He swerved for it, only to watch Horvath shatter the glass from the other side. "Damn it."

He could just see Horvath's grinning face as he broke each and every window. Suddenly, his eye caught a large piece of glass that was dangling precariously from the building about ten yards in front of them. They might be able to _just_ make it...

"No, no, no, no, no. You're not..." Dave exclaimed.

Balthazar looked at Izzie, watching as she inclined her head towards him. "Here we go," she whispered, pressing down on the pedal. With the help of Balthazar, the car swerved left.

"We're not going to make that! We're not- Ahhh!"

They made it.

Isadora could practically _hear_ the cheesy background music. Balthazar took his hands off hers, leaving the sorcerer immediately feeling cold.

They went around a few more corners, then as they turned, they came face to face with a giant garbage truck. Isadora slammed on the brakes.

The bed of the truck rose up, revealing Horvath and Drake at the controls. "Hello, Balthazar," Horvath greeted smugly.

Balthazar couldn't help it; he smirked at the man. This was such an obvious move from the boy who, he remembered, used to love to smash and destroy all sorts of things when they were sixteen and eighteen together.

"Oh man. Oh man," Dave repeated, slightly freaking out. The bed began to descend upon them. "Back up!"

He reached forward, throwing the car into reverse. Izzie stepped hard on the pedal.

"I've got an idea!" Dave shouted.

"Dave, don't," Balthazar pleaded. This could only end badly.

"Please just let me do it."

The car made a funny noise, then stopped moving. "What?" he exclaimed, confused.

Izzie rolled her eyes. Oh boy.

Balthazar turned and glared at Dave. " '73 Pinto? This is your idea?"

"We're screwed," Isadora murmured.

"No! My idea was to turn their car into a beater!"

"Refresh me; I don't do cars. What's a beater?" Isadora asked.

"A very bad car," Balthazar answered, still glaring at her brother.

"Boys? Break it up! How are we getting out of this?" Izzie whispered, scared.

Suddenly, the truck crashed into them, pushing the Pinto back another thirty feet.

They ducked as the bed came down on top of them, nearly crushing all three. Luckily, it stopped before it could finish them off. "I think he stopped," Dave said, relieved.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Izzie quipped, squeezing out of the car. Balthazar had kicked off the door when he got out, so it made it easier for the two twins.

Balthazar weaved through the crowd, noticing Horvath about ten feet front of him. Suddenly, he saw someone he recognized.

Time seemed to slow as he stared at the black-haired beauty. Her eyes flashed up to meet his.

Veronica...

He reached out, as if in a trance, touching her arm to stop her. The lady turned, and the glamour was gone. "Hey!" she called, offended.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head, chasing out all the memories. "I thought you were someone else."

They lady gave him a funny look, turning and walking away.

Dave ran up to him, carrying Tank. "Where's Horvath? Did he get away."

Balthazar silently turned and looked for the evil man, secretly ashamed he would fall for such a horrible trick.

"Where's the Grimhold? Who was that?" the questions just kept pouring out of Dave, and he couldn't stop them. "That was her wasn't it? The third apprentice."

Balthazar changed the subject. "Where's Isadora?"

Dave, thankfully, fell for the bait. "Talking to some policemen. And don't think I'll forget about that woman, either."

Okay, so maybe he _didn't_ fall for the bait.

"I'll tell both you and your sister tomorrow, Dave. We all deserve a good night's rest before making this entire thing a whole lot more complicated."

Thankfully, Dave nodded in agreement. They walked to where Izzie was, Balthazar staying back while Dave walked up behind her, offering support. Not that she needed any, though.

He watched, admiring her tactics as she smoothly talking her way out of their situation, telling the police that some crazy guy ran into their little car, trying to kill them: her brother, her uncle, and her. When the two cops mentioned that some people had sworn they saw the car magically change from a Ferrari to a Pinto, she went into an entire lecture about optical illusions, jokingly adding in that, even if the car _did_ magically change, who, among the sane, would change a Ferrari into a beater. He saw Dave flinch at that one. Serves him right.

He was about to walk up and introduce himself, when the clouds suddenly broke apart and a single ray of sunlight shone down on Isadora. He staggered back a few places, stunned. She was so much more beautiful to him than Veronica, heart problem or no. The sun gave her hair a fiery look, and for all he could see, her skin glowed softly. An angel.

He suddenly knew he was in a lot more trouble than he had bargained for.

SASASA

_Balthazar turned to Horvath, watching as his arch enemy enveloped Isadora in his arms, a dagger pressed against her chin._

_He tried to scream at Horvath, or at least to attempt to reason with him, but found he could not speak._

_Overcome with the empty feeling of helplessness, he slowly noticed his surroundings. Beautifully woven tapestries covered the walls, and many books were strewn about. Spell books. He had grown up in this place._

_Merlin's castle._

_Of course, that made sense now that he saw Merlin and Dave standing on either side of him, the old sorcerer's hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. Dave looked considerably more mature and wise than usual, though his hands were lit up blue and shaking, ready to do anything to get his sister back. Morgana and Mordred, the evil sorceress and the malicious son of King Arthur, were standing on either side of Horvath. And Isadora was standing in the middle, obviously wanting to run to Merlin, her brother, and him, but kept from doing so by the knife his old best friend was holding against her. She hissed softly as the cold blade slid across her skin._

_He took a double take: was that Isadora, or was that Veronica?_

_The lady -that he had first thought of as Dave's sister- was now a strange mix of the only two people he had ever loved. She had beautiful black hair, but instead of Veronica's hazel eyes, she had vibrant emerald ones._

_She first looked to Merlin, nodding at her ancient kin as if they were old friends. Merlin's face suddenly clutched in anger and frustration, but after a few seconds, it cooled into an expression of sadness and understanding. He hesitantly and gracefully nodded back._

_She then looked to her 'brother', shaking her head as if telling him not to help her. He shook his head back, moving forward quickly, his hands glowing brighter. Merlin grabbed his arm, stopping him before he could do anything too rash. Her twin squeezed his eyes tightly shut, and let out a sob of reluctant acceptance._

_She stared at Balthazar sadly, and something achingly beautiful passed between them. She gazed deeply into his eyes, her lips -the same hue as her wine colored, medieval cut dress- mouthing, 'I love you'..._

_Then Horvath slit her throat._

Balthazar woke with a gasp.

For a minute he sat there, wondering why he had suddenly awoken, then he remembered his dream... or should he say nightmare. And they say some dreams are premonitions or warnings, especially for sorcerers. The gray-blonde haired man scrambled out of bed, sprinting to Isadora's corner of the room. Seeing her sleeping peacefully, he relaxed, letting the tension drain out of him. He got back into bed, reassuring himself.

'It was only a bad dream.'

SASASA

"Get away from him... Stop hurting him!"

Isadora rolled off her makeshift bed, stunning herself awake. Her eyes shot open, taking in her surroundings: Dave asleep peacefully, Balthazar asleep -more like snoring- peacefully. There was no cause for her to worry; they were both fine.

She was troubled. Balthazar had promised both her brother and her last night that he would tell them about Veronica in the morning. She had already heard about the woman twice: once when Horvath mentioned her and the other when Balthazar 'saw' her, and she was beginning to be upset about the fact that Dave and she were being kept out of the loop, so to speak. Dave was the Prime Merlinean, and she was literally dragged into this mess. The least Balthazar owed them was an honest-to-God explanation.

Isadora knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she did what any other normal Stutler would do in this mess.

She sought high ground.

SASASA

Dave got up around two in the morning to get a glass of water. He nearly laughed when he walked by his master, who was snoring abnormally loudly. Of course he didn't dare even chuckle; Balthazar would kill him if he woke him up.

Then he noticed Izzie wasn't in her bed.

At first he panicked: why would his sister not be sleeping? It was 2 A.M. for God's sake!

Then he thought about it. She probably wanted some quiet time, just to think. She -and he- had been taken for quite a ride the past few days, figuratively speaking. If Balthazar had left him alone for a second, he would've done the same.

'Now, where would she go?' he pondered, wondering where he should start looking. Then he thought of something. 'I'm a sorcerer! I could just track her!'

He flipped open the Incantus, quickly finding a tracking spell. He straightened up, murmuring a few words under his breath. He felt the magic flow through his body, and suddenly he was there.

The apprentice looked around, trying to figure out where 'there' actually was. All he could tell was that he was on top of a building.

"Dave? What are you doing here?"

He turned around, seeing his sister curling up against the railing. Tears stained her cheeks, and her eyes were still watery.

"I felt a disturbance in the force," he joked. Star Wars marathons had been a mandatory weekend thing in their household, so they had practically memorized all the movies. He was trying to get her to laugh, and it unfortunately wasn't working.

Then he became serious, noticing her state. "Why so sad, Iz?" he asked, sitting down and scooting up next to her. He put a protective arm around her shoulders. It shook him to see his usually strong sister so broken up.

"I.. I.."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he said softly.

"I love Balthazar."

Well, he certainly wasn't expecting that.

She turned to him, her eyes suddenly wide and fearful. Untrusting. "You won't tell him, right? I can't... He loves this Veronica, it's obvious. He won't ever want to see me again if he knows..."

"Stop," Dave cut her off. "Stop beating yourself up about it."

Izzie looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all, if he isn't crazy about you, then he's an idiot. You're beautiful, smart, funny... All that a guy could ask for. Second of all, I would _never_ tell somebody something that you didn't want me to. That's like... against the law."

Izzie's eyes had brightened, and she began to laugh. "What law?"

"I don't know," Dave mumbled. "The law of being a twin?"

The girl laughed harder, falling against her brother. She eventually stopped giggled, and the twins just laid there for a few minutes. Finally, Isadora broke the silence. "Sorry for being so mean to you yesterday. I shouldn't have been so forceful, making you make that decision. I mean, I know I'm under a lot of stress from this, so I can barely imagine how you feel..."

"It's okay," he interrupted. It wasn't normal when his twin was unsure of herself. "Back to you and Balthazar. Isn't he like... forty or something?"

"Thirty-three," she amended. "Why, does that bother you?"

"No," he hurriedly replied. "He just... looks older." The physics geek paused, still a little freaked out with this situation. "I should've known you'd be attracted to an older guy. So when are you going to tell him?"

Isadora decided to forget her brother had ever said something about her being attracted to older men, for the sake of curiosity. "Tell him what?" she asked, confused.

"That you love him?"

"I guess one day," she replied carefully. "But, with this Veronica-"

"Forget about her," Dave demanded. Then his voice got softer. "When you tell Balthazar just make sure to let him know, master or not, if he hurts my little sister in any way, shape, or form, I'll kill him faster than he can blink."

"Little sister?" she asked incredulously, hiding the blissful emotion she felt for him when he said that. "I thought Mom told you _I_ was born first?"

Dave laughed. "That might be true, but you'll always be my little sis, no matter what."

The sorcerer's apprentice soon found himself with an armful of Izzie. "Thanks," she mumbled into his pajama top.

"Anytime," he replied, wrapping his arms her.

After a minute or two, she pulled away, claiming she wanted to be awake enough to find out about Veronica in a few hours. Izzie took off down the stairs, and Dave realized they must be on top of the building that was above his lab. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to run to bed.

Dave stayed up there for another hour or so. About fifteen minutes later, the truth set in.

His _sister_ was in _love_ with his _master_!

Holy _shit_!

Hey, he might not swear out loud but no one said anything about doing so in his thoughts.

After he stopped hyperventilating, he began contemplating things, especially Isadora's last words to him, to which he agreed.

'If anyone ever tells you about me loving Balthazar, you must act surprised.'

His sister had made it clear that he was never to talk about her and Balthazar, but she had never mentioned _anything_ about giving them a tiny little push in the right direction.

SASASA

Aw, a devious and brotherly Dave!

Now I know that Dave being protective is a little OOC, but it's his sister, and they _really _needed a sappy, cute, family moment. Oh c'mon, if that part didn't make you feel a little warm inside, then you seriously have a heart of pure stone.

I hope you guys liked how they all eventually ended up driving the car; that was fun to write!

Stay awesome!

-lala-


	14. Of Veronica, Pillows, and Reasons

Hey guys!

Sorry this one took a while; I was really busy this week! I'm sure you'll be happy to know I've already written the next chapter, and so I'll post it up tomorrow after some last-minute check-ups! It's a lot longer than this one too!

Something I want to say about this story from now on: it'll be breaking more away from the movie's plot line from now until the end. Some will like this, some won't. I swear to you, it's absolutely necessary for my OC, or else I'd keep my story and the movie more in sync. Don't worry, it won't be that different, just a little.

Oh, and the lyrics are from the song "Phoenix Burn" by Alpha Rev. I don't own that.

So, I hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own SA; I just own a DVD, so please don't sue! *That won't go down that well…*

**Of Veronica, Pillows, and Reasons**

"For centuries, Veronica, Horvath, and I were the only things standing between Morgana and man's destruction."

Balthazar began softly. The three of them had just eaten breakfast, the elder sorcerer ready to tell them about his lost love. He had silently made his way down the stairs to Dave's main lab, only pausing to pick up the Incantus. Then he had sat down on the small staircase next to Dave's side table, Dave himself sitting next to him, sharing the weight of the large, magical book. Isadora collapsed at their feet, staring up at Balthazar intently. Whether she was ready or not, she was finally to hear the full and hopefully completely true tale of Balthazar's exile.

The sorcerer opened the book, turning the pages quickly until he found the correct one. He pointed at the pictures to illustrate his words. Izzie leaned forward, her fiery hair falling onto the crease of the tome. All three heads were close together.

"Our friendship and our magic were what Veronica and I depended on," Balthazar looked on with sadness and regret.

Dave picked up on it. "You fell for her, didn't you?" he said, a little upset, subtly placing a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder.

"I fell for her," the sorcerer affirmed softly.

And that just about broke Isadora's heart.

The redhead turned around, facing away from the others. Her brother's hand fell off her shoulder. She leaned up against Dave and Balthazar's legs, resting her head on the elder's knee. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, hugging her knees to her chest. 'This is hopeless,' she thought mournfully, a single tear running down her face. She willed herself not to cry. 'I won't make Balthazar feel guilty. I couldn't do that to him.'

"Like you," Balthazar went on, "all Veronica wanted was to be normal. Normal things, normal life. I fell... and so did Horvath."

Dave mouth fell open.

"That's why Horvath betrayed us," he added.

"For a thousand years, you've been carrying her around with you... in the Grimhold," Dave asked incredulously.

"I was going to give this to her that night," he said, running the necklace softly and reverently over his fingers.

Isadora couldn't take it anymore.

"Look," she began, "I need to-"

"Don't go," Balthazar pleaded, grabbing onto her arm. "Hear me out. This is important for our world's existence to stay as it is now."

"I'm sorry," she murmured grimly, shaking his hand off. "I can't... I'm sorry."

"Was it something I said?" he asked, determined to find out what was wrong.

By now they were both on their feet, staring at each other. Dave put down the Incantus, sneaking off. Izzie changed the subject. "You really love her, don't you?" she asked softly.

"I did," he confirmed, praying that she'd pick up on it.

Isadora might've been bright, but she knew absolutely nothing when it came to love.

"Dave!" she called. "Get back in here!"

Dave appeared back in the room, looking a little sheepish. "Yes?"

Izzie nodded to him, and through a strange bout of twin intuition, he nodded back. The apprentice turned to his master. "I'm sorry," he apologized, not sure whether he was apologizing for Veronica or for the fact Isadora wasn't picking up on his master's feelings for her. He waited a minute, but Balthazar wouldn't speak, and neither would his sister. He was alone on this one.

"Okay, Balthazar," he started determinedly. If a desperate situation was what he needed to push these two together, then by God, he'd try. "We are going to get Veronica out and destroy Morgana."

Balthazar turned to his apprentice, looking at him strangely. "What's happened to you?" he asked. Izzie walked until she was next to the sorcerer, also giving him a funny look.

'They really do look good together,' Dave realized, astounded. Then he recognized the fact that Balthazar expected him to say something.

"Nothing," he lied, shrugging.

Balthazar gave him a shrewd look, but didn't dare smirk in the tense atmosphere. "You're still a bad liar," he accused softly.

Balthazar could _feel_ the heat of Isadora's body next to his, despite the fact they weren't even touching. He wanted desperately to reach out and possessively curl an arm around her waist, to bring her against him just as she was when she called him her uncle two days ago. He certainly didn't feel like an uncle to her _now_. Balthazar reluctantly turned back to his conversation with his unruly apprentice.

"Why does everyone-" Dave began.

"You know," he interrupted. "I _am_ glad she likes you."

Isadora cracked a small smile. At least if she wasn't going to succeed in the love department, Dave hopefully was. Her brother looked ready to say something else, but again Balthazar predicted his words.

"No, I am not surprised. Only glad. There's nothing like it, is there?"

The girl's smile fell flat and she looked down at the floor.

Little did she know, Balthazar was gazing intently at her.

Dave grinned inwardly, then shook his head in response to his master's question.

Balthazar studied him, very cynically, for a short minute, then spoke. "Put your... old man shoes back on. We have some work to do."

As Dave and Balthazar began their last practice before the final confrontation with Horvath, Izzie fled upstairs, glad to finally be alone.

Sorcery, heart problems, true love, Prime Merlineans, mysterious sorceresses, physics geek twin brothers, evil lecherous men, annoying professors, wonderful sorcerers with lovely emerald eyes...

What was a twenty-five year old female to do but to sob it all into her pillow?

SASASA

"Time to go," Balthazar murmured. He felt it in his bones; it was now or never. "Go get your sister. She'd better come along; we don't want anything happening to her."

"Uh... I have to... I have to get a... snack, okay? Can you go get her?" Dave stumbled. 'One last shot,' he decided. 'I swear that I'm the worst matchmaker in history.' Then he thought about it. 'Well, except Will Smith in that movie _Hitch._ That one was pretty bad. At least I'll never fall in love with Balthazar. That would be just plain scary.' He shuddered.

Balthazar gazed at him for a second, then nodded. "Alright. Hurry up," he ordered before walking up the stairs.

Balthazar turned into the bedroom Dave had been putting together in his nearly nonexistent free time for Isadora. Therefore, it was still in the early stages of construction, but there was already a bed in the room. The redhead was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

"We're leaving," he said, breaking the silence.

Izzie jumped about thirty feet in the air. "What the hell? You scared the living crap out of me!" She glared at the sorcerer.

Balthazar laughed. "I'm sorry, then."

An awkward silence followed.

"So why'd you come in here again? Just to scare me shitless?"

"Um, no," he replied defensively, trying to remember. Exactly why _had_ he come up here? He couldn't remem- "Oh... We're all leaving for Horvath's in a few minutes."

Isadora gazed worriedly at him for a minute, suddenly afraid he knew that she could do magic. After searching his expression for any signs of accusations, she carefully relaxed. The redhead stood up, grabbing her new, black leather jacket from the nearby bedpost. She came to a stop in front of the sorcerer.

"So, let's go kill the lascivious man and his dimwitted imbecile, winning back your drop-dead gorgeous lady-love, shall we?"

He looked a bit confused, trying to piece together what exactly she had just said.

"Sorry, that would be the Jack Sparrow in me coming out, savvy?" she tried and failed to imitate Johnny Depp. Balthazar tried not to laugh.

Instead, he finally got what she had just said. The sorcerer took a deep breath, then turned to correct her. This was it.

"Isadora..."

But she was gone.

He silently followed, watching her as she walked down the hallway, putting on his best facade for the two that now mattered most to him.

He wouldn't... _couldn't_ lose either one of them now; they were the two most important things in his life, and he would throw himself off the nearest skyscraper -it's New York, there's a ton of them- to ensure their safety and happiness.

SASASA

The Phantom came to a stop in front of a building, and, to Dave's knowledge, the home of Drake's apartment. Izzie sat in the backseat, leaning slightly forward as Balthazar and Dave discussed 'battle' strategy.

At one look at the master and apprentice, their heads bent close together, Izzie smiled. They were more like siblings than they realized. "I'll wait outside," she mumbled quietly, feeling a bit like she was intruding. Neither seemed to notice.

She cracked open the car door, sliding outside. The redhead waited for about half a minute, then began tapping her toe on the pavement, humming a song she had heard on the radio last night. She couldn't help it; she was already impatient.

_'I need a love that will release me; keep me honest, keep me happy-'_

There was a perfectly straight line of girls walking by, all wearing the identical uniform of the orphanage located up the street. She met the eyes of a young girl, probably around nine years old, thin as a post with gorgeous blonde hair and eyes the color of the ocean on its purest day. The girl flashed a bittersweet smile at her before getting pulled along by her friends.

_'Sometimes things happen for a reason.'_

Isadora jumped, looking around. Had she really just heard a voice in her head? She laughed, but it was awkward and hesitant.

No way. That would be a little _too_ weird, even for her.

_Meanwhile… inside the car…_

"Alright," Balthazar began.

Dave nodded for him to go on, assuring his master that he was paying attention. He could sense that Balthazar was about to say something of great importance.

"When Morgana is released, no matter what happens, promise me you'll do whatever it takes to destroy her."

"I promise," Dave swore, looking straight at Balthazar to ensure him of his sincerity. There was no going back now.

"And for the record," the ancient sorcerer broke in, turning to look directly at him, "you wear the old guy shoes very well."

"My feet disagree with you, but thank you," Dave replied, a little wary. Balthazar rarely gave compliments.

Dave decided to try something. The least his master could do was give him a weird and awkward stare, and if they were all going to die, he might as well try.

"Knuckle bump!" he exclaimed, instantly lightening up the tense atmosphere. He held up his fist, the same hand bejeweled with Merlin's ring.

Balthazar glanced at it cautiously, then shrugged, giving his apprentice a smirk. "Might as well," he agreed, banging fists with the Prime Merlinean. 'Never thought I'd do that,' he thought wryly.

SASASA

"Now that I have kidnapped the girl for you, is it time to release Morgana?"

Abigail Williams, a fellow Morganian, stood near the fireplace with Maxim Horvath, staring at the Grimhold.

"I'll give her your regards," the man remarked, stalking towards the girl who had put Salem on the map. He had already done the Parasite spell on Drake, stealing his powers; who said he couldn't do the same to this little girl?

"Mr. Horvath," Abigail's voice changed to that of a young, frightened child. "Have I done something wrong?"

She dropped to the ground from the shock of being without magic.

"Not at all," Horvath replied to the comatose, powerless girl, basically talking to absolutely no one. "I need your power to free Morgana. I just don't need _you_," he spoke, ripping the charm from the witch's neck. "Well that's two. Just one more to go."

He looked again at Abigail in contemplation. Finally, he tapped his cane to her chest. She rose up, her eyes blank. A living zombie.

"I might need you after all," he mused aloud. His head jerked up at the sound of a door opening. He grinned.

"I knew you'd come, my old friend. Unfortunately, it's not exactly for the idle talk that we engaged in 1300 years ago."

SASASA

Balthazar magically opened the door, cautiously walking into the penthouse. Isadora and Dave followed.

"That's horrifying," Dave bit out, referring to the huge creepy painting of Drake on the left wall. He shuddered.

"No kidding," his twin murmured, keeping close to her brother and the sorcerer.

"Let's just find the Grimhold and be done with it," Balthazar ordered, moving into the nearest room on the left side. Izzie and Dave entered the one across the hall.

"Ostentatious," Dave commented as he looked around.

Izzie smirked. "So you _do_ know a big word... kudos to you."

Dave just rolled his eyes.

That's when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Speechless, he pointed at it for Isadora's sake.

There, sitting right in front of the fireplace, was the Grimhold.

SASASA

Yay! My first real cliffhanger! I feel so special!

Review and I'll probably get the next chapter up tomorrow morning. That's not blackmail… is it?

Oh well, I hope no one comes after me!

Thanks for reading!

-lala-


	15. Of Leverage, Heights and the Right Words

Hey you guys!

So I kept my promise! (Even though it's **really ** late, isn't it?) The reason is stupid; my dim-witted computer wouldn't connect to my Wi-Fi this morning.. I hate technology.

Anyways, I think a chapter this long makes up for all my short ones, right?

This is the long awaited declaration of love, though it might not be what you all think it's going to be, savvy?

Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I own SA. I also own a beautiful painting called Mona Lisa, and an awesome body of water… called the Pacific Ocean.

**The Twin**

**Of Leverage, Heights, and the Right Words**

Dave and Isadora just stared at it for a minute, not believing the Grimhold was about two feet in front of them.

It looked so innocuous and innocent, and that's what Isadora was worried about.

Dave walked towards its sitting place right in front of the giant fireplace and looked around, making sure no Indiana Jones like traps were going to pop out at them. He grabbed the Grimhold.

_It shouldn't be this easy._

Isadora decided to break the deafening silence and add her two-pence. "It shouldn't be this easy."

"You're right," a voice agreed from behind her.

They both turned quickly, but not fast enough. Isadora felt herself being pulled roughly backwards by an unseen force; she thumped into someone and felt something sharp against her neck. "Ahhh... Leverage feels absolutely delicious," Horvath remarked, pulling her tighter against him when he saw Balthazar had appeared in the room. He had just returned from searching the room across the hall.

The sorcerer immediately tensed when he saw the position Isadora was in; he started forward, but came to a quick stop once he noticed Horvath's hand tightening on his cane.

"What do you want with them, Horvath?" Balthazar, in his preoccupation with his ex-best friend and Isadora - he wasn't really quite sure what she was to him yet-, had just noticed little Abigail Williams with... Becky. What in the name of Excalibur was she doing here?

"I just want the Grimhold... and Merlin's ring. Is that really too much to ask for the lives of these lovely ladies?" Horvath replied. Balthazar knew he was enjoying every second of this.

Balthazar and Dave both turned away, anguished.

"Dave? What's going on?" Becky implored frantically, hysterical.

Dave attempted to calm her down; it wasn't very easy when Abigail was whispering horrible threats in her ear. Dave only heard snippets of it, unfortunately the part about being chopped into pieces and fed to a bunch of cats. The physics geek was beginning to get angry.

"Let go of me," Balthazar heard Isadora hiss.

"Oh, but my dear, Balthazar owes me a debt _and_ a heartbreak. Of course, I could always turn you against him… or take the easy path and just kill you. Either way, then he'd feel the same way I felt when Veronica said 'no'."

"I'm going to try not to interfere with your 1300 year old love triangle, Horvath, but Balthazar is twice the man you'll ever be," she spat.

The cold, unforgiving, dark blue stone pressed harder against the flesh of her neck. "You really believe that, don't you, my dear?" Horvath whispered, his lips blowing soft gusts of breath against her neck. "I don't believe you've ever been shown a good time, Iris."

Balthazar head snapped towards them, his blue-green meeting hers if only for an instant.

"Don't you dare call me that!" Isadora, to calm herself, took a deep breath and continued. "Look, I'm sorry your heart was broken and that you couldn't get high enough in Merlin's trust," she said sarcastically. Yet pity held its own in her tone, and that is what got to Horvath the most. "The fact remains: you're the bad guy."

"I don't have to be, darling," Horvath whispered suggestively.

"Ugh! Get away from me, you monster!" Isadora yelled at him, noticing Becky, whilst talking to Dave, had begun squirming in Abigail's arms too. They had both had enough.

With Horvath forcing Isadora against him and whispering intimately in her ear, Balthazar was feeling pure rage... and jealousy.

Yes, jealousy. He admitted to it. He couldn't stand the sight of Isadora in Horvath's arms; it hurt. The pain made him want to hunch over and throw up. Was this what Horvath had felt when Veronica turned him down? It was horrible, and all Balthazar wanted was for it to end.

"Let. Her. Go," Balthazar's tone broke no argument. He knew he would do _anything_ to make his ex-friend go away, for him to let go of _his _Isadora.

"Dave, give him your ring and the Grimhold. Rebecca and Isadora need to be safe," Balthazar whispered, resigned, eyes trained on Isadora. This _couldn't _end the same way his dream did. He absolutely wouldn't allow it to.

_Déjà vu._

"I'll give you the blonde, Balthazar. The redhead stays for leverage," Horvath reasoned.

Becky was released and she ran into Dave's arms. They hugged tightly for a minute; Horvath began to glare at them, annoyed. Dave held the blonde carefully and closely to him as he gave up his ring. The Grimhold was passed to Abigail.

"See you soon, darling. I might just keep you for a pet when Morgana rules all," Horvath whispered to Izzie, loud enough for Balthazar to hear.

Balthazar actually growled, and as Isadora was pushed out of Horvath's arms, she blindly stumbled forward and was engulfed protectively by Balthazar's. "You will never touch her," Balthazar snarled, clutching the girl closer.

Horvath suddenly felt a flash of guilt. _This _man had been his comrade for centuries, and the love of a woman had ruined their relationship as brothers. Maxim had a sudden tightening in his chest, making him feel… _sad. _Should he really be doing this?

One glance at Balthazar Blake, Merlin's favorite apprentice, his _best friend,_ with a girl wrapped tightly in his arms, made up Horvath's dreadfully twisted mind.

"Merlin's ring. It's been a while since I've been this close to it. I wonder if it still works," Horvath stated, suddenly completely emotionless.

A powerful plasma bolt was shot towards Balthazar and Isadora. Balthazar turned and smothered the redhead against the wall, protecting her with his own body. He had never moved so fast in his life.

Horvath chuckled darkly and was gone, leaving the slumped, magic-drained body of Abigail Williams behind. She was just a toy, a _doll,_ to be used, after all.

SASASA

Balthazar slowly released Isadora, suddenly afraid of the monster that had taken over his body when he knew she was in danger. 'I don't know what I feel for her,' he thought, 'but I sure as hell am not going to let Morgana take over the world.'

He walked outside onto the balcony, silently calling for his eagle.

Dave found his voice, following after his master. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Battery Park," Balthazar replied, thanking God that his tone sounded normal. "Horvath's going to release Morgana."

"You can't take him _and_ Morgana on at the same time!" Dave tried to talk some sense into him, but his master wasn't listening. "You literally can't!"

"I have to try."

"Then take someone with you," Izzie pleaded, butting in on the conversation.

"Who? You're not a sorcerer, and Horvath has Dave's ring! No, I'm going alone."

"Dave," Becky whispered, backing away slowly.

"Hmm?"

"We have to leave them alone." Even though Becky was more than a little freaked out at this whole situation, she knew Izzie didn't want her brother with her right now.

"Okay," Dave agreed. They went inside, where Dave proceeded to explain to Becky what exactly was going on, including the fact he was a sorcerer. "The first thing you need to know…"

_Meanwhile, with a suicidal sorcerer and a crazy twin…_

"Alone? You'll be killed!"

"At least I won't be living when Morgana reigns," he retorted.

Isadora tried a different tactic.

"So you're going to leave me here to be Horvath's... whatever he said? Doll... pet... I'd kill myself before that happens!" she exclaimed. They both shuddered.

"No. If you're going to die with a last stand, I'm coming with you. At least I'll die... with you," she whispered the last part.

"Like Romeo and Juliet," Balthazar observed, liking the slightly romantic idea against his will.

"Except we don't obsessively love each other," Isadora awkwardly laughed.

"Do we?" Balthazar wondered.

"No," Isadora said firmly. "You love Veronica."

Balthazar stepped onto the railing and held out his hand. "Step up," he ordered, but it almost sounded more like a question.

She climbed onto to the railing with him, ready to jump.

"Isadora?" he asked. "Look at me."

She turned to face him; they were so close that her red hair was mixing with his dirty blonde strands, making the color of the last ray of a sunset as it quickly disappears over the horizon.

"I don't know," he began, "quite what you are to me, Isadora Stutler, but I do know I am going to fight to my last breath, not for Dave, not for Veronica, not even for the entire world and all its people... but for you."

And then, as their foreheads leaned against each other and the desperation of the moment set in, he kissed her.

It wasn't a very long kiss, but the moment his lips touched hers, both of them wouldn't have cared if the world exploded and came to an end, as long as they died holding each other.

"Always remember this feeling," he told her, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "You might need it soon."

She had begun to cry for the first time in twenty years, and all he could do was squeeze the hand he was holding in his and wipe away all of her tears.

"No one knows how much time they have... to be with the people who are the most important," Balthazar whispered to her, repeating the words she had once said to him what seemed like ages ago. He clasped her hands in his.

He looked towards the closed doors, seeing Becky and Dave inside. He felt a slight twinge of envy. "I hope they enjoy it."

"Farewell, Isadora, and remember..."

Suddenly she felt hands on her chest lightly push her off the railing... and onto the balcony.

When she realized what had happened, she looked up and noticed Balthazar was gone. She scampered to her feet and ran to the railing, seeing, in the distance, a huge, flying steel eagle. The literature major had only one thing to say...

"Farewell my foot."

She raced inside, noticing Dave and Becky were waiting for her.

"Balthazar?" Dave asked, dejected.

Izzie shook her head, but then began to talk very quickly.

Dave only caught the words 'jump', 'railing', 'eagle', 'die', and 'motorcycle' before he stopped her, saying only one word. "Izzie."

"Sorry, I talk way too fast when I'm excited… or so my Public Speaking professor always said," she gasped. "What I meant to say was I'll meet you back at your lab. Balthazar's going to need some help," she smiled, almost deviously.

"Ok, I'll call Bennett and tell him to bring the remotes." Dave returned the same smile. It must've been genetic.

Isadora was already halfway down the hall. She came to a stop.

"Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to save your conscious; I'll steal a car, you take Balthazar's."

"How are you going to steal a car?" Dave called after her, somewhat worried.

"Sorceress, remember?"

Becky turned to Dave. "Wait, I thought that guy, Balthazar, said your sister _wasn't_ a sorcerer."

"He doesn't know yet," Dave explained.

"Why?"

"Because... well Izzie told me she has a good reason, but she won't tell me."

"That means she doesn't have a good reason," Becky rolled her eyes at Dave's naivety. Especially when it came to girls and love.

"Oh."

SASASA

As Isadora ran outside, she saw a red motorcycle just waiting right in front of her. 'Someone's smiling down on me tonight.' She thought about it for a second. 'Not my mother; she wouldn't condone stealing. Probably Merlin.'

'Who knew: ancient wizards have good taste.'

She hopped on the motorcycle –that she didn't really know how to ride- , starting it with some good old fashioned feeling-instead-of-actually-taking-the-time-to-learn-the-spell magic. She barely had time to put on the helmet that was hanging off the handlebar before she heard some random guy yell, "Hey! That's my motorcycle!"

She couldn't help it; as she kicked away from the curb, she started to laugh.

'I'm more than _a little_ insane now'

SASASA

As Dave and Becky got into the car, Dave punched in Bennett's number.

"Bad timing, Dave."

"Bennett, thank God you answered. I have a real emergency on my hands-"

"Is Izzie in trouble?"

"In a way... I need you to meet me at my lab _right now_!"

"K," he answered, hanging up.

"Becky, I have to let you out," Dave said, pulling over.

"Wha- let me out?" Becky repeated, incredulous.

"I think I know how to defeat them without magic," Dave clarified.

"How?"

"The rings on Horvath's cane: he put them there to gain more power, but they make him a better conductor," Dave explained. No one could ever say he didn't know his physics.

"Dave, I have _no_ idea what you're talking about," Becky shrugged exasperatedly.

"Alright, Rebecca, here it is. Many evil sorcerers will be raised from the dead tonight. So basically, Morgana is trying to destroy the world as we know it."

"Oh, just that," Becky replied, a bit sarcastically.

"This is really dangerous. I can't bring you into it," Dave explained.

"Well, I think I'm already into it. I don't want to be left behind like Isadora with Balthazar. And besides, if you blow it we're all going to die anyways, right? I want to come with you," she stared at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"You're sexy," Dave blurted.

SASASA

"I got all the Tesla coil remotes."

Bennett stood there, taking in the scene.

Becky was watching as Dave and Isadora worked, bent over this giant machine looking thing.

Dave barely looked up to say, "I appreciate it," before going back to work.

"Ooh! Found this after we hung up," Bennett pulled something out of his pocket.

Dave stood and took it from him. It was a note and a velvet pouch.

"It was on the desk."

By now, Izzie and Becky had come up behind him, looking at the note.

Dave read it aloud. "Give this to Veronica. Even if I do not feel the same for her as I once did, this has always been hers. Balthazar."

"There's something taped to the bottom," Becky noted.

Dave ripped off the folded piece of paper and read the name scribbled across the top. "Isadora," he read.

The lady in question took the paper from his hand and walked to the corner of the room for privacy. Balthazar wouldn't have made it a separate note if it wasn't meant for her eyes only.

Dave opened the soft bag and pulled out the necklace Balthazar had waited over a thousand years to give to Veronica.

"I don't think Balthazar's planning on coming back," Dave realized, practically stating the very, very obvious.

"I don't know what you're getting into, Dave," Bennett started. "But whatever it is, you are definitely... participating!"

"Thanks, Bennett," Dave said, thinking back to all those conversations they had had about that very thing. Stupid wolf pack. That had really come back and bitten him in the behind.

Isadora ran up to Dave, tears pouring in torrents down her cheeks. "We have to go, Dave, we have to save him."

Bennett and Dave grabbed the portable Tesla Coil they had just made and strapped it to the front of the car. Becky stopped Isadora before they got into the Phantom.

"What did it say?" Becky asked, concerned.

The redhead let out a sob, and hugged the blonde.

"Never let Dave go, okay?"

"Okay," Becky agreed.

"Not good enough. _Promise_ me," Isadora ordered.

"I promise."

They hugged one more time, perhaps for the _last _time, and then Isadora ran up to Dave. She didn't notice the slip of paper that fell out of her pocket.

But Becky did.

She picked it up; there were three words scrawled across the page. Three words that can never really be tainted by any amount of hate, lies, and deceit. Three words that have never and will never be tampered with through the workings of time; they will always stay sincere and pure. Three words that even made the great Balthazar Blake cry, judging from the dried up wet marks dotting the paper. 'Don't worry,' Becky thought. 'Your secret's safe with me, Izzie… Balthazar.'

She turned her attention back to the page. 'I wish Dave would say it.'

'_I love you'_

SASASA

Balthazar watched from the curtain of a fence and a few trees as Horvath released Morgana... inside Veronica's body.

He slowly walked forward as he heard chanting. He noticed Horvath was about to destroy the Grimhold. 'Can't have that happen.'

He threw an invisible hole into the grass over the fence, and then, when Horvath wasn't looking, jumped over the fence and into the hole.

SASASA

Dave looked up as he noticed a giant ball of electromagnetic energy shot across the sky, bouncing off of random buildings.

"No way! Man alive," Dave was on the verge of beginning to curse.

"What?" Becky asked.

"Are you telling me you don't-"

There was a knock on his window. He rolled it down.

"Do you see that?" Isadora shouted at him from 'her' motorcycle.

"Yeah," Dave yelled back. "Becky and I will do something about it. You keep going."

"Hurry!" Izzie told, or yelled at them, and then she was off.

"Becky, I need you to do me a favor," Dave turned to her after he pulled over. "I need you to go up to the very top of that thing."

"Great," Becky started to slightly freak out. She absolutely _hated _heights.

"I need you to move that antenna and just... disrupt the signal," Dave explained.

"Ok, right," she answered, jumping out of the car.

"Hey Becky?" she turned to face him. "You know that letter I wrote when we were ten years old, friend or girlfriend? I never saw what you checked so"-he swallowed- "in case I die tonight, would you please tell me?"

"Don't die and I'll tell you," she promised, shutting the door. Dave decided now would be a good time to break his 'no swearing' rule.

"Oh damn."

SASASA

Just as Horvath was about to destroy the Grimhold forever, it froze in midair, hanging magically right before his eyes.

"Balthazar," Horvath whispered.

Suddenly, it was taken right out of the fire and was put straight into Balthazar's, who was about fifteen feet behind him, hand.

Horvath shot a plasma bolt at Balthazar that landed right next to him, almost hitting him. "Enough of your old tricks, Balthazar," he taunted.

"As you wish," Balthazar replied, making a plasma bolt behind his back.

As he tried to aim it towards Horvath, the bolt wouldn't leave his hand.

"As it was, things were pretty even between us, Balthazar. As you can see, I've acquired some new jewelry." He hit Balthazar with a wind so powerful, it sent him tumbling back about twenty feet.

SASASA

When Isadora was about a minute from Battery Park, she realized Becky might end up needing some help. After all, Dave was probably going to leave her there to go lend a hand to Balthazar, like she was. She flipped out her cell phone, quickly punching in a number and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Jeff, listen to me carefully. I want you to go to the BB&T building and climb onto the roof. There will be someone waiting for you there. Take that person to Battery Park."

"Isn't that like… against the law?"

"Duh."

Isadora heard him swallow loudly. "You have to get to that building fast. Please Jeff?"

"Alright."

"I'll see you at the finish line, Professor."

Isadora snapped her phone shut, suddenly noticing the steel eagle in the next alley.

'Now _that_ could help me out some.'

SASASA

"I'm coming, buddy, I'm coming," Dave said to himself.

"What is this?" He exclaimed, watching in front of him as an old lady attempted to get out of a taxi. He groaned; of course Dave would have this kind of luck.

"And a walker; of course she has a-"

_Face, say hello to palm._

SASASA

"Oh my," Becky started, looking up at the tower on which the satellite rested.

She took a deep breath and started to climb.

SASASA

"A matador gored by a bull can take up to three days to die."

Balthazar clung to the fence, awaiting his fate. He didn't think he could get up yet.

Horvath smirked at him. "Sounds unpleasant, doesn't it?"

Balthazar turned around, noticing the metal bull behind him come alive. It snorted and turned its sights on the sorcerer.

"Too bad you won't live to be with that girl of yours, Blake."

And suddenly, Balthazar felt fear. The bull was running towards him now, horns scraping the pavement. Balthazar rolled out of the way in the nick of time, watching as the bull took out the whole fence.

Balthazar swiftly got up and ran, the bull close behind him. He slid around a car and hid behind it, hoping the bull couldn't see him. The car suddenly jerked. Balthazar, afraid but curious, looked up to see the bull staring at him through the window. Balthazar ran out from behind the car just before the car was officially made history.

Balthazar slowly backed against the hood of a silver bug, and the bull charged him again. Spinning away, Balthazar ran as the car was crushed by the incoming bull.

Just as it looked like he was getting away, Balthazar tripped over a flying object. He looked up to see Horvath smirking, and glanced behind him.

'I guess this is it,' he thought grimly.

SASASA

Becky was about halfway up the giant structure that held the satellite dish.

Willing herself not to look down, she slithered her foot through the bars and began kicking at the giant dish.

'I hope this works'

SASASA

"The circle is nearly complete," Horvath declared.

"It must be awful, Balthazar," Horvath began again, trying to get a rise out of his once best friend.

He walked up to him, looking down at the sorcerer who was struggling to get up. "All these years, fighting to stop this one moment," he paused, letting the whole thing just sink in, "and then coming up short."

The circle nearly exploded with fire as it finished, a dark, very evil looking smoke rising out of it. Morgana, in Veronica's body, looked smug. After all these long years, trapped helplessly inside a magical object, waiting for the chance to break out and strike. Finally.

The bull turned around, looking for its prey: Balthazar. It was now the end. Suddenly, a rumbling noise was heard.

"That's my car."

SASASA

Phew, that was long! (Well, for me, anyways…)

Only like three more chapters to go, then I'll be officially finished with this story! Not to say I won't keep dabbling in the Sorcerer's Apprentice; I absolutely love this fandom!

Please review and let me know what you think, or butcher my story… whatever floats your boat!

-lala-


	16. Of Epic Fights, Science, and Death

What's up?

First of all, sorry about the long wait. I had a busy week, then I went to Tampa with family to do a half-marathon. I apologize for leaving you guys at a bad place for over a week!

So a little something about last chapter you guys might be interested in; if you just want to read the chapter, go ahead and skip this. My friend and I were discussing Edgar Allan Poe about a week ago; as some of you might know, his short stories and poems are very famous, and very dark. The two that we had just read were The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart. (Check them out, they're great!) Now, about how this ties into the previous chapter; some of you might have noticed Horvath's short moment of guilt before he disappeared to go and release Morgana. The happens to the two main characters in both Poe stories, and are a recurring theme in all of his writing. When we were talking about it, my friend said something very interesting to me, and I couldn't help but to attempt to include it in my story and mention it to my readers. Her almost exact words were, 'Wouldn't that make Montresor (a character in CoA) an even worse person? I mean, murdering someone is bad enough, but there is a difference between being crazy and evil to –even worse- just plain horrible. If he can have a moment of guilt, a chance to go back and do the right thing, that would make an antagonist a lot worse on the inside. Completely ruthless.'

Think on that.

I'll shut up now. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own SA, Nicholas Cage (Damn), Horvath (Yay!), or Mr. Poe.

**The Twin**

**Of Epic Fights, Science, and Death **

Horvath turned and watched as Balthazar's car approached, Dave in the driver's seat. 'This is almost _too _easy,' he thought.

He raised his cane, about to cast a spell that would make Dave think twice before he tried to assault him again. Or so he thought.

Dave pressed the button on his Tesla coil remote, praying to God it worked. A bolt shot out of the Tesla Coil, electrocuting Horvath's cane so that it flew out of his hand.

Horvath, temporally defenseless, spun on his heel to face Balthazar, who sent him flying into a wall. It knocked him clean out.

At the sound of hooves, Balthazar turned around and saw the bull charging him. Closing his eyes, he waited, bracing himself for the impact. Suddenly, the bull wasn't there, but before he could get up and look around to see what had happened, a body knocked him back to the ground. He groaned at the contact.

"That was so freaking awesome! I am so doing that again later," Izzie exclaimed from on top of him, gazing down at the sorcerer fondly.

Balthazar opened his eyes, seeing the steel eagle fly off with the bull in its mouth. He let out a long, steady breath.

"Wait," the sorcerer started, realizing something. "Did you fly here on the eagle?"

"Yes, why?" Izzie asked, wondering what was so important about that. Unless he was about to lecture her for riding on the eagle with a huge risk of falling off... which really wasn't too much of an assumption.

"If you can control the steel eagle, you have to have some sort of magical aptitude," he accused her.

"Well," Isadora began with a guilty expression on her face, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you..."

"That you can manipulate magic," Balthazar interrupted coldly, trying to glare at her. It wasn't working; he couldn't stay angry with her.

"C'mon guys!" Dave called. Giving Izzie a look that assured her they would be continuing this topic of discussion later, they all sprinted towards where Veronica was standing, not daring to come too close in since Morgana was still in control.

"We're too late," Isadora said dejectedly. She turned to Balthazar, planned on being in his arms for the last few minutes that they were alive and free.

SASASA

Becky stretched, finally kicking the satellite dish out of the way. Even though she couldn't see the electromagnetic waves, she knew they had been deterred from the energy refuse that hit her a few seconds later.

She let out a giant sigh of relief, content with finishing her part in saving the world. She slowly began climbing down the rickety ladder.

"Becky? Is that you?"

Jeff stared up at the blonde. When Becky's feet touched the ground, she walked straight up to him, poking him in the chest. "Are you the slightest bit attracted to Isadora?"

"Sort of, bu-"

Becky slapped him. Hard.

"Well, never, ever even _think_ of her in that way again. She's got Balthazar, and Balthazar is all she will ever need."

Geoffrey just stood there, dumbfounded.

"Come on. We have to go after them," Becky urged, pulling him towards the elevators.

"Okay," he agreed, snapping out of it. She was so bipolar. "We can take my car. Just give me the basics about what's going on."

"Well, Dave, Izzie, and Balthazar are all sorcerers..."

SASASA

The three sorcerers watched as the magic Morgana had set up to raise the dead came back and hit her all at once. Becky had done her job.

"Veronica," Balthazar murmured, running to the dark-haired Italian woman. Isadora and Dave hung back a little.

"Is she..." Dave started.

Balthazar felt her pulse. "They're both still with us."

Isadora ran forward when Balthazar motioned her to, supporting the sorceress.

"What are you going to do?" Izzie asked worriedly.

Balthazar didn't answer. His ring lit up a dull green color. He began moving his fingers from Veronica's forehead to his, transferring Morgana's soul into his body. He freed her.

Veronica's eyelids fluttered open, staring into Balthazar's eyes. They sparkled, but she knew it wasn't from her love. It was odd; she didn't feel anything for him, except joy at having her best friend back.

Balthazar began to twitch like a man having a seizure, breathing heavily. "Balthazar, what have you done?" she implored weakly.

"What you did for me," he replied, trying to stand. Veronica couldn't even sit up; she was too fragile from the state of magic she had been put in for such a long time.

"C'mon, Veronica, we have to move you away from this place. Let's get you off the fountain."

Veronica's eyes met that of a redhead who was helping her to sit. The two women seemed to share an unspoken understanding, and Isadora aided her in standing, leading her over to the steps. She sat down heavily.

They both turned at the sound of Balthazar's voice.

"Remember your promise."

Dave shook his head frantically, staring at the nesting doll in his hands.

"Balthazar, no!" Veronica exclaimed, reaching for him. She turned to Isadora for help, watching the girl walk forward until she was right in front of Balthazar, holding the hunched man up.

"You'll do whatever it takes to destroy Morgana," the sorcerer gasped.

"No, I will not lock you in this thing!" Dave shouted, trying to reason with him. But Balthazar only had eyes for Izzie, waiting for her answer.

"Neither will I," she said softly.

Balthazar suddenly turned, Morgana briefly taking control of his body. He unknowingly pushed Isadora away, and she fell into Dave, who held his sister up. It Balthazar had done that in his own mind, Dave would've killed him, but for now, he was just scared. He was afraid of what Morgana would do if she won.

'Would she just murder us, or would she lock us up, torturing us for the rest of our lives?' He clutched his sister tightly, slowly shaking his head back and forth. No, he wouldn't let that happen.

"How sweet," Balthazar taunted.

But that was _not_ Balthazar's voice.

Isadora gasped, motionless as a gathering of particles that looked almost like sand pulled themselves out of Balthazar's body. They made their way over her head, but Izzie wasn't watching them; she was watching the man she loved. Balthazar fell back with a groan, and Dave dropped to his knees next to his master. Veronica was barely able to pull herself up, but she managed. The sorceress leaned over Balthazar.

Isadora watched as the particles formed the image of a body, her eyes widening as she realized she was staring at the most evil being of all time.

Morgana moved her 'hands' in a circular motion, conjuring up fire. "And now we end this," she spat. Even her voice was evil, sounding like twisting and slithering snakes.

"No!" Balthazar shouted, reaching out and grabbing Isadora's hand, desperately trying to pull her back. He had to at least protect her. He'd die for her.

He loved her.

Balthazar was having one of those last moments where his life flashed before his eyes. Most of all, the life he had led in the past week.

There were images of Isadora laughing, Isadora smiling, Isadora _kissing_ him...

And strangely enough, Dave being electrocuted over and over again by his Tesla Coils.

He came back into the present when he felt Isadora tear her hand from his, repeating his single, useless command.

"No," she whispered. She had to save _them_ at least.

Izzie pushed Dave down, and he landed next to Balthazar. The fire shot towards them, and Izzie turned her head away, her hands flying up in front of her face to protect it the best she could.

She waited for the fire to completely incinerate her. When about five seconds had passed, she looked up, wondering what the deal was. She gasped.

The fire was only inches from her fingertips, but it wasn't touching her. Her eyes widened as she noticed Balthazar, Veronica, and Dave were untouched too.

"No way," she murmured, staring at her hands.

Balthazar looked up; an awed expression on his face. All this time, it had been Isadora.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

"No ring," Dave noted, astounded. Even though he had known about the magic, he would've never guessed that _this _would happen. Veronica was staring at the fire, completely speechless.

"It's always been you," Balthazar said, staring at her intently.

Suddenly, Isadora felt the fire begin to lick her fingers, her shield weakening. "No," she realized, turning to Dave. "It's both of us."

Dave nodded, seeming to understand. He got up, holding out his hands next to hers. The twins concentrated hard, nearly trembling from the effort. The fire retreated a bit.

"Look," Izzie whispered. "I have a plan."

She spoke quickly and quietly. "Morgana still thinks that I'm the only Prime Merlinean; it's really both of us, I think. Act like you went down, then use your awesome scientific brain to help me beat her."

Dave understood, then thought for about five seconds. He seemed to have an epiphany. "I got it. In since Morgana is made of particles, I should be able-"

"Spare me the details," Izzie interrupted. "I don't get physics. Just tell me what I have to do."

"Distract Morgana, and in about a minute, send a powerful plasma bolt towards that powerhouse," Dave instructed, pointing to a rather shifty looking shack. "And whatever you do, don't-"

"The Prime Merlinean," Morgana finally realized loudly, cutting Dave off.

'Wait...' Isadora thought frantically. 'Don't what?' She was so afraid something would go wrong. 'I don't think I can do this.'

Her heart beating faster and faster, she willed herself to calm down. She couldn't faint now; they would all die! 'I'm doing this for my family. I can do this. I can _do _this.'

She was brought out of her thoughts when Balthazar, overhearing their conversation, yanked Dave backwards so Morgana wouldn't be suspicious. The fire stopped, and Izzie leaned over, breathing heavily.

"Fools," Morgana shouted, sending plasma bolts at them. Izzie easily stopped hers, and Dave effortlessly blocked his, managing to crawl out of the evil sorceress' vision. He slinked slowly towards the powerhouse. Balthazar also threw up a shield in time, but Veronica couldn't; she had been without magic for so long. The raven-haired beauty doubled over, clutching at her stomach.

"Veronica!" Balthazar yelled, moving in front of her. Isadora was safe for the time being, but his best friend and first love since what seemed like forever was in danger.

Balthazar felt the bolt knock him into the air. He had the odd sensation of falling...

Then he felt nothing.

SASASA

Isadora watched helplessly as Balthazar roughly tumbled down the stairs, as limp as a child's rag doll. Veronica, holding her side, slowly crawled towards Balthazar, wanting to make sure he was okay.

The redhead just grew more furious by the minute, especially after Balthazar's fall. Her head whipped back to Morgana.

"Now it's my turn," she called, figuring it had been just about a minute.

She threw out both hands, plasma bolts instantly appearing. She melded them together, aiming them at the powerhouse. The bolt left her hands, and Morgana turned to look at her with a mocking smile on her face.

"Is that the best that you can do?"

"I sure hope not," Izzie lied. 'I hope that's good enough for you, Dave,' she thought.

Isadora, trying to distract Morgana, shot a series of plasma bolts at her. All of which didn't hit her because, as Dave said, she was made of particles. Apparently, Merlin's greatest enemy got tired of deflecting plasma bolts.

"Now it's my turn," she spat, making a plasma bolt.

Isadora constructed a pretty strong shield, but every bolt that hit the invisible wall weakened it. Unfortunately, Morgana had a lot of ammo.

"C'mon, Dave," she whispered, finally noticing the live wires that were crawling through the grass. Soon, Izzie's shield was completely depleted. Morgana decided to take a moment to taunt the girl before killing her, therefore winning the age old war of Morganian versus Merlinean.

"You have Merlin's powers, but you don't have his strength or skill. You are still weak!" she smirked, readying her plasma bolt.

Isadora was barely able to raise her head, but she was determined to look Morgana in the eye. She wanted to die with some dignity.

"But she's not alone! The Prime Merlineans brought a little magic with them," Dave called from the powerhouse. Izzie grinned, watching Morgana nearly die of pure shock. _Two _Prime Merlineans? "Now!" the boy shouted, pulled the electricity lever to 'on'.

Flashes of electricity that looked a lot like lightning lit up the air. They were coming from the lamps that surrounded the park. Morgana howled in pain; every single strike hit her just how Dave planned it.

"Okay, Izzie, give it your best shot! She's solid now!" Dave yelled over the noise of the makeshift Tesla coils.

Both Isadora and Dave took deep breaths, then let out a string of plasma bolts on Morgana; Dave from behind and Izzie from in front. Morgana kept wailing until she was reduced down to nothing more than dust.

For a moment, there was a loud silence. Izzie stood there, her hands still stretched out in front of her. Then, Dave let out a shout of pure joy, bounding forward about ten paces to swoop his sister up his arms, swinging her around in a circle. "We did it!" he exclaimed, hugging her.

"The wonder twins," Izzie quipped. "By the way, what were you about to say when Morgana interrupted you?"

"Don't get killed," he said softly. "I was about to say, 'don't get killed'. I love you, sis, no matter what. Don't you ever forget that."

"I won't," Isadora said solemnly. Then she cracked a smile. "And, even though we fight like hell, I love you too."

Dave grinned, then gasped. "Balthazar!"

The boy watched as his sister's eyes widened and sparkled. That sparkle was familiar to Dave, though he couldn't exactly place it. She turned away from Dave, flying down the steps.

"Balthazar! We actually did it! I just-" she stopped short, sobering up immediately.

Dave, afraid to walk up and see what she was staring at, cautiously went to his sister's side. What he saw shook him so completely that he almost fainted.

His master was lying there, Veronica leaning over him. She looked up at the twins, years forming in the corners of her eyes. She saw Dave's questioning gaze; Isadora just already knew.

"He's gone," the sorceress whispered bitterly. "He completed his quest."

Izzie stumbled forward blindly, filled with heart-wrenching grief, collapsing to her knees next to Balthazar's body. Veronica backed off a little to give the redhead room; Dave was already sitting on the steps, his head in his hands, basically mumbling complete gibberish. "No, no, no it's not over. He can't die! I just... not-not now... C'mon."

Isadora ran her fingers gently through Balthazar's hair, savoring the silky feel of it. She traced his face with her fingertips, her own tears falling like raindrops upon his cheeks. Thinking about the fact she would never see his emerald eyes gazing at her again, the dam finally broke. She let out a strangled sob, gasping and groaning at the same time. She was nearly hysterical, clutching at the dead sorcerer's leather jacket, another hand worming up to fist in his grayish blonde hair. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his natural scent and at the same time feeling his pulse. Maybe Veronica was wrong! Maybe-

There _was_ no pulse.

The redhead slowly rose so that her head was hovering inches above his, his lips just inches below hers. She began to cry harder, bringing up her hand to scrape gently down his cheek. Her forehead rested on his. "Damn it, Balthazar!" she whispered furiously. "Don't die on me! My life will be hell without you!"

Veronica watched the young girl sob in awe, realizing she was seeing love in its purest form for the first time. Dave 'wasn't' paying attention; he was too lost in his own thoughts.

"That's it!" Isadora said resolutely, pushing herself up so she rocked on her heels. "Veronica, Dave... you guys might want to step back."

Veronica obediently did so, but Dave stubbornly wouldn't listen to her.

"If Morgana can stop his heart, maybe I can start it."

She spread out her hands, focusing, then jerked them downward. A circle of red fire formed around her and Balthazar, physically knocking out Dave to do it. She had told him that he was too close. Normally, Isadora would've been worried for her brother, but she was too far gone to care.

Veronica didn't spare Dave a glance, watching with renewed wonder as the redhead began to perform CPR with immaculate precision.

"Here we go, darling, here we go," Isadora repeated, laying her hands in his chest.

She brought her hands up, gathering a plasma bolt and hopefully shocking him back to life. The way she was going, though, it might be into the next century. Thank God she had taken that crash course in emergency medicine! She repeated this action over and over again, while talking, or more like insulting, him through it.

"You... with all your damn rings!" -shock- "And those old man shoes!" -shock- "And you're constantly protecting me with that look in your eyes!" -shock-"Come on!" -shock- "Come on!"

She leaned over him, kissing him. Balthazar's lips were cold and unforgiving, nearly sending the poor girl into another bout of tears.

"I love you... please..."

Veronica got up, intending to throw her arms around the girl so they could grieve together.

... But Isadora was gone.

SASASA

Ha! Weren't expecting that, were you?

So I hope you guys don't mind the two Prime Merlineans thing. It works for the rest of the story. I was kind of going for the Luke and Leia vibe, as an earlier reviewer put it. If you've read the books, Leia's just as strong in the Force as Luke. Same with Dave and Izzie, though there might be a few more twists and turns before this story is done.

Something for the next chapter: I ask you not to freak out about what's about to happen to Dave. Though it looks that way, not everything is as it seems…

Please review! I want to pass 100 reviews before I finish the story. I'm at 93!

-lala-


	17. Of Assaulting, Insulting, and Realizing

Hey!

So this is the second to last chapter! (Actually, it's kind of the last chapter because the next is the epilogue.)

Enjoy!

**Warning: **There is thoughts and attempted suicide in this chapter. Nothing too dark, but I wanted to warn you guys.

Disclaimer: If I owned SA, I would be on a beach drinking champagne with Nicolas Cage, not writing fics about it.

**The Twin**

**Of Assaulting, Insulting, and Realizing**

Isadora landed on a beach, hitting the sand with a thud and a groan.

But not just any beach, the beach in the same town she was born in. Sarasota, Florida.

'How did I get here?' she asked herself. She had been in New York only a few seconds ago, grieving over Balthazar's body.

Magic.

Just then, she had two revelations, two things that she knew would change her life forever.

'I'm the Prime Merlinean, the one Balthazar was searching for, and Dave too. And I, with my twin's help, just killed Morgana.'

She had just saved the world.

'I love, have loved, Balthazar. And he'll never know.'

Balthazar was dead.

She had tried to bring him back. Hell, she had practically assaulted him in her desperation.

She had never told him the most important thing.

"I love you, Balthazar!" she screamed. "I love you, I love you, I love you!" she repeated these words in a frenzy, secretly hoping that, by the sheer force of her will, she could bring him back to her.

SASASA

Veronica was crying.

It felt odd to feel emotion again after more than a thousand years in the Grimhold, but her friend and former lover had died, and she could do nothing but grieve.

Not that she romantically loved Balthazar, that emotion had slowly slipped away during her time in the magical prison. That's when she knew her love for her friend was not true, and he now loved this Izzie.

The girl had disappeared once she had tried to save Balthazar, cloaked in grief and regret. Veronica was a little worried for the young woman she had just met; she might do something crazy that could hurt herself in her mourning. The sorceress guessed, judging from the way she had urgently tried to bring him back, she had never told Balthazar she loved him, and vice versa.

She returned from her thoughts when she heard Dave addressing her. He must've just awoken from being knocked out, by his own sister nonetheless.

"Veronica... Where did Isadora go? Is she alright?" the boy implored.

"She's likely alright, all she did was use the transporting spell. It is probable that she unknowingly did it in grief, to get away from her love before she did something rash and irresponsible."

"What would she do that's rash and irrespo- wait... Her LOVE?"

Isadora had told him to act surprised. And even though he was a horrible liar when someone asked him a direct question, by God he was a fantastic actor.

"Balthazar. You mean to tell me you honestly did not-"

"She loves Balthazar? And you figured that out in the five minutes you saw them together when they were both"-he fake choked a little bit on the next word-"alive?"

"It was rather obvious, David. The way Balthazar was looking at your twin sister was the same way he used to look at me, only more so. She even admitted it when attempting to bring him back," Veronica explained.

Dave looked at Balthazar's body, then at Veronica, then back at Balthazar. He realized she was right, and was filled with a sudden determination.

"That's not good enough." Dave stood up resolutely and moved to Balthazar.

"Veronica, keep back."

The raven-haired beauty nodded.

Dave gathered all his power; he didn't need it, but his former master did.

"You! Old man," he looked a little ridiculous speaking to a body. "You are not going to leave my sister brokenhearted!"

His hands were lit up mostly blue, but all the colors of the rainbow were present too.

Veronica gasped, recognizing the spell. "Reverse parasite spell. But when did you-"

"Reading the Incantus in what little spare time you have does come in handy, doesn't it?" Dave grunted.

"Are you certain you want to go through with this?"

"Who cares about Merlin's magical ring when you have the half Prime Merlinean as a sister?" he attempted to joke.

As the ball of magic gained size, it also grew brighter. Soon neither Veronica nor Dave could see at all.

'I hope this works' Dave thought as he maneuvered the giant ball into Balthazar's body.

The next moments of utter silence felt like years. Dave was _probably_ a normal boy now. It was the way he always wanted it to be; he and Becky could be together now with no complications.

"I had a dream."

Balthazar's eyelids fluttered.

Veronica smiled through her tears, and Dave let a laugh of pure happiness.

"You were insulting me, Isadora, repeatedly," Balthazar's eyes opened, ready to see Isadora's smiling face and vibrant eyes gazing down at him.

He was greeted with quite a different sight.

Dave and Veronica both were looking at him sympathetically.

"Where is she?" he implored, slowly getting to his feet. "She's not-" he was unable to say the next word. He would throw himself off the empire state building that very night if she was-

"Dead? She's not dead," Dave said, waving his hands in front of his master's face to get his attention.

Balthazar relaxed slightly, then tensed again. "Then where is she?"

Veronica and Dave glanced at each other before Veronica opened her mouth to speak.

"Well... We do not exactly know that."

SASASA

Izzie's voice was hoarse from screaming 'I love you'. She was openly sobbing now, willing to do whatever it takes to be with Balthazar. All the sudden, she was reminded of something he had whispered to her when he had taken her to church.

_"This ring... Special... Trust you enough to... Safe..._

_It will change into anything you'd ever need."_

The thing is, Isadora wasn't exactly sure what she really needed. Her mind was too clouded with misery for her to think properly.

'Become what I need most. Become what my subconscious needs,' she willed it.

'Being the Prime Merlinian has its perks,' she thought idly as the ring began to glow. Suddenly something clattered as it fell into her lap.

As Isadora stared at it, she began crying harder.

"That's it?" She yelled up at the sky, which had started getting darker, reflecting her mood.

"Am I destined to die in the same place I was born in?" she asked herself, picking up the dagger daintily, not exactly wanting to touch the weapon.

"I suppose a knife to the heart is most honorable."

SASASA

Becky and Jeff ran into the park, Becky smiling widely.

"Dave! I actually did it!" she exclaimed. Then she seemed to notice the tension oozing off of Dave and a woman standing next to him.

Turning to face the newcomers, Dave made introductions.

SASASA

Balthazar flew across the sky on the steel eagle, hoping against hope he wouldn't be too late. He could feel the extremely negative emotions rolling off of her.

It wouldn't be long now.

SASASA

"When this is all over, I'm going to take you to breakfast... in France," Dave smiled, hugging Becky closer.

"Don't you mean 'if'?" the blonde asked. What if Isadora wasn't okay?

"When," Dave said, firmly and confidently. If there was one thing that magic had carefully taught him in their short time together, it was that you had to believe in yourself, no matter what anyone else, from Horvath to Morgana, said.

"You've changed," Becky observed. "And it's not the shoes this time."

Dave smiled, gazing into her eyes. "Enough to do this?"

And then he kissed her.

Veronica and Jeff watched the couple, instantly warming on the inside. "I had always thought I would end up with Balthazar," Veronica admitted softly.

"As did I," Jeff added. Merlin's third apprentice gave him a funny look.

Jeff, realizing what he had implied, shook his head frantically. "No, no! I'm not like that! I meant the same with Isadora."

Veronica eyes widened a little bit. "Really?"

Geoffrey nodded. "But now I realize anything I could ever feel for her would be totally encompassed by Balthazar's compassion. They're soul mates, and you can tell just by looking at them," he laughed. "In fact, I got punched twice because of it."

Veronica giggled. "Sounds like Balthazar."

"I'm glad it wasn't just me," Jeff joked, loosening up.

They were quiet for a while.

"Would you like to hang out sometime?" Jeff asked tentatively.

"I do not believe I would enjoy putting up laundry with you," Veronica replied, confused.

"No, no! To 'Hang out' means walk together, to spend time together." Jeff covered, embarrassed. he had forgotten that she was from a period that took place about a thousand year ago.

"Then, yes, I would love to 'hang out' sometime," Veronica acquiesced awkwardly.

They laughed, but tensed guiltily when Becky shot them a look. She was right, of course.

There were still lives at stake.

SASASA

"Tilt it slightly upward, as to not be blocked by the ribs," Isadora quoted her anatomy professor.

She closed her eyes tightly and fell to her knees.

"I'm coming, Balthazar," she smiled a anxious smile, and drove the knife home.

But all she felt was her fist.

Isadora opened her eyes and looked down. The knife was gone.

"For God's sake! Do you want me to kill myself or not!" she yelled, looking up, throwing her hands into the air.

"I'd prefer not."

The voice came from behind her, but she didn't look back quite yet. The sky was beginning to clear, as if by magic. She saw that the knife had been turned back into a ring. It was lying about ten feet away. The only thing was, that just wasn't possible. Unless...

"I'm going mad. I just heard your voice, Balthazar," she whispered, not daring to hope.

She heard an impatient sigh, and then she knew. She turned quickly, feeling the sun's heat, as it set, envelop her. Uncertain, she spoke:

"Did I really almost-"

"Yes, and thank God you didn't." Balthazar said softly.

"Why do you care so much?" Isadora asked, afraid of the answer.

"Because I love you, and have since the second I met you, Isadora Stutler," he slowly walked towards her.

"And I find myself loving you back, Balthazar Blake," Isadora also found herself genuinely smiling, and sprinting towards him.

"Wait," Balthazar started.

Isadora froze mid-step, waiting for her love's verdict.

"You should know… if you come any closer, I'm not letting you go."

At that moment she could have beaten the fastest runner in the world. All she wanted was to be in Balthazar's arms and, by God, she was going to be there if it was the last thing she did. She would go to hell and back for this man.

The two lovers met somewhere in the middle. Izzie felt herself being lifted in the air, and twirled around and around and around.

When she was put down, Isadora was swiftly enveloped in a kiss.

Never had she, nor he, felt so many emotions in a kiss. It began so sweet, so naive. Balthazar's lips moved slowly over her own, savoring the taste. Then, in an instant, the kiss turned desperate, almost possessive. Balthazar kissed Isadora as if he was drowning, and she was the only thing that could save him. His arms slid around her waist and squeezed tightly, almost bruising, but it was a good kind of hurt. Her arms twined around his neck, a sunflower reaching for the sun.

Balthazar was only just coming to terms about how close it had been, how close it had been for both of them. He broke the kiss, both of them breathing heavily, keeping their lips barely inches apart.

"I... almost.. lost you," Balthazar whispered huskily, pulling his soul mate even closer.

"I know, Balthazar, but I'm here now," she soothed him. "And I'm never leaving you ever again."

"That's good," the sorcerer said. "I don't think I could possibly let you go even if you wanted to leave."

"I know. You warned me," she smiled.

They sat down together in the sand, probably making the oddest looking pair possible. Isadora was wearing a long-sleeved, black shirt with dark skinny jeans. She was also wearing flats, no jacket, and was regretting it; it was abnormally cold in Florida for the fall.

Balthazar was wearing his usual get-up: long dress pants, old-man shoes, and a very scary looking trench coat. All around, he was a pretty scraggily, rogue-looking guy to the innocent bystander. 'No wonder he never really ventured out of the Arcana Cabana; he was afraid of frightening people!' She laughed at her own thoughts.

"What?" Balthazar asked, wondering what was so funny.

"Absolutely nothing," she giggled.

He decided to forget she ever laughed; you really had to pick your battles with Izzie in the vicinity.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I think we established that fact," Balthazar replied, thinking of all they had gone through to be together.

Isadora moved so she was looking straight into his sparkling, blue-green eyes. "I truly, deeply love you."

"I can do without the Star Wars reference," Balthazar chuckled. "Padme completely lost my respect with that line."

"I know! She used to be so… wait, you've seen Star Wars?"

"I was there when it was made, and it was all the rage back then," he looked a little embarrassed.

"Aw, it's alright! We all have to embrace our geeky side sometimes," she giggled at the thought of Balthazar intently bent over the movie screen watching Star Wars.

"Sorcerers are so much cooler than Jedi anyways," she added. "Jedi can't shoot plasma bolts."

There was a moment of silence, then: "That was you, wasn't it?" Balthazar accused out of the blue.

"Whatever you're thinking of, it probably was," she smiled wryly.

"The plasma bolt that Dave said _he _shot that shook the foundations of the subway station. That was you. I had my suspicions, but I thought at least _you_ would've told me. Why didn't you tell me?" Balthazar looked… sad… and disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Balthazar," she looked so guilty he wanted to just let her off the hook. "The reason was actually kind of silly," she blushed.

Tell me," he demanded.

"I… I thought if you were my master…" –she searched for the right words-"then I wouldn't be allowed to, you know, _be_ with you. Like, how a teacher isn't supposed to be with a student. I thought if you started seeing me as a student, you could never…" she trailed off.

"Love you?" Balthazar interrupted. "Desire you? Isadora, ever since your hand was placed on my chest the first time I met you, nothing could stop me from loving you and desperately wanting you to be mine, for you to love me back."

The new sorceress beamed and wiggled her way into Balthazar's lap, encouraging him to wrap his arms, and hopefully his coat, around her. He did so, and then buried his face into her fiery curls.

"Balthazar?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Why do you think the ring worked for Dave when he wasn't the full Prime Merlinean? Would it have worked for me?"

"There is a lot of superstition surrounding the birth of twins, even some written in the Incantus. Many believe twins can actually share feelings, and in your case, power. You both are descendents of Merlin, too, that would be another possibility as to why your brother had power, and why the ring responded to him. You both probably share the power of the Prime Merlinean, " Balthazar explained to the best of his ability.

"What about the tattoo? Didn't you even consider…"

"That was completely my fault. If I had only realized that your tattoo could mean something, everything would've ended better," Balthazar lamented.

She needed to change the subject. She couldn't have Balthazar blaming himself for what was probably Fate; that is, if sorcerers even believed in things like that.

"So in since I'm half of the Prime Merlinean, Dave is just my other half? Like my equal? We could have so much fun with this magic thing," Isadora realized, a little deviously.

"Not anymore. Your brother gave every ounce of his power to restart my heart," Balthazar looked a little guilty. "If I could've, I would've stopped him…"

Isadora turned so she was gazing straight into his eyes. "Don't say that. If he had been stopped, both you and I would be dead right now. It's a blessing he was willing to give up all his power just for us to be together. I feel bad, though," she looked sheepish. "I knocked him out when I was trying to bring you back."

_It was about time someone other than I did. _

Balthazar threw back his head and let out a genuine laugh-at both Isadora and his thoughts-, something he hadn't done in years. He hugged Izzie tighter to him, and hoped to God this moment would never end.

All of the sudden, his new apprentice tensed up.

"What about Veronica?" she asked, not in an reproachful tone, but in a curious one.

Balthazar also froze, and unexpectedly found himself pleading with her instantly. He was surprised; he usually didn't jump to conclusions like this.

"Veronica is smart, beautiful, and very kind. But she's not you," Balthazar replied quickly. He was suddenly frantic, not wanting to lose the most beautiful thing he had ever felt in his life, and he had lived a very long one.

"Don't worry, I believe you, Balthazar," Isadora said, bringing one hand down to trace the contours of his face, and the other to rest against his lips, silencing him before he let out some smart comment like 'I knew that'.

"Plus," she added, "You're here with me now, and not with her, and that has to mean something, right?"

"It means everything," he whispered, capturing her lips in his once again.

SASASA

Pointless fluff at the end, I know, but I've always been a sucker for sappy romance.

I hope I cleared up all of the unresolved conflicts in the long talk between our two lovers, but if I missed anything, please tell me so I can add it in or put it in the epilogue.

And, yes, I know Balthazar would be trapped in an urn at the time Attack of the Clones came out, but bear with me here. (I think it was 2002?)

And please, you guys, don't worry about Dave's magic. The show's not over yet!

Please review? I'll love you forever!

-lala-


	18. Of Epilogues and Endings

Well, this is the last chapter! Please Enjoy!

Well, I knew my ABBA influence was going to hit soon! (You'll see what I mean in just a few seconds.) Just scroll down!

Disclaimer: I think you all get by now that I don't own SA…

**The Twin**

**Of Epilogues and Endings**

_Waterloo – I was defeated; you won the war._

_Waterloo – Promise you'll love me forevermore._

_Waterloo – Couldn't escape if I wanted to._

_Waterloo – Knowing my Fate is to be with you._

"_Waterloo" by ABBA_

SASASA

Suddenly, four bodies -Veronica, Dave, Becky, and Jeff- landed in the sand next to the couple. Balthazar, used to these things happening from being a sorcerer for so long, sat calmly when Izzie practically jumped onto his lap when the rest of their odd group appeared out of absolutely nowhere. They all slowly stood, eyes on one another.

When Balthazar gave Veronica a funny look, she murmured, as if in a trance, "Transportation spell."

Isadora and Dave were the first to break, rushing forward, their arms wrapping around each other as the boy hugged his twin sister close. Standing in the close embrace, they whispered softly and intimately to each other. If Dave hadn't been related to the redhead, Balthazar would've been terribly jealous.

Out of the blue, Veronica let out a broken sob and bounded a few steps forward, throwing her arms around her oldest friend in the world. They hugged for a moment, breaking apart to talk about what was to happen next. Isadora was beckoned forward by Balthazar, who threw a protective arm around her waist and pulled her close. Dave did the same with Becky; Veronica and Jeff stood alone. No one could think of anything to say.

"Morgana is dead," Dave declared with no ideas left.

Izzie snorted. "No shit Sherlock," she quipped, grinning as Balthazar whispered 'Good one' in her ear.

The tension was broken and the group engaged in a bit of small talk - Was everyone alright, where had Balthazar been all these years, and of course, some of his adventures with the twins. Finally, and unexpectedly, it was Becky who asked the foreboding question: "What are we going to do now?"

After a few minutes, the voice of reason came from Balthazar. "Find another adventure," he put simply. "I'm not going to have a powerful group of sorcerers sit around and do absolutely nothing as our world figuratively crumbles into pieces around us. Merlin wouldn't."

Dave raised his hand. "Yes?" Balthazar asked amusedly.

"What about us three _non-magical_ human beings? What will we do then? We're a group, Balthazar; you're stuck with us," Dave smiled.

Balthazar seemed to think for a minute, then answered carefully. "Dave, I forgot to thank you," he offered, disregarding the question he was asked. "You saved my life."

"No big deal," Dave evaded the praise. "I wanted to be normal and be with Becky, and to save your life was an _honor_ Balthazar. You're in love with my sister, and even though I don't have magic anymore, you'll always be master to me."

There was a pause, where the girls 'aw'ed and Jeff smiled. Balthazar actually had tears in his eyes. "Well, answer my question!" Dave exclaimed, blushing with embarrassment.

"Well, Dave, you're excellent with physics; from the show you put on at Battery Park, the principles of Tesla Coils could become a great weapon for future battles. Nicolai would be proud. -Dave smirked, silently thanking his master- And Becky has a lot of influence on this world and city, and her music could end up being essential" -he grinned- "you never know. Also someone is going to have to aid Isadora in introducing Veronica to the modern world. Jeff? I really don't know, but you can stick around." Jeff smiled.

"I have friends in high places," he remarked cynically, creeping the others out.

Isadora held out a hand, placing it in the center of the group. "To magic?" she offered.

The rest piled their hands on top of her's, even Veronica who had no knowledge of modern customs. "To magic," they recited.

As Isadora and Balthazar walked off, as did Veronica and Jeff, Dave turned to Becky. He pulled his girlfriend close, kissing her hard. She kissed back, glad they could finally be together.

"So," Dave said, breaking away from the blonde. "I believed I promised a breakfast in France?"

Becky was about to retort, but suddenly the ground vibrated. Becky threw her arms around Dave's neck, scared. Had Horvath come back? Would Balthazar and Izzie be able to get to them in time?

Dave nudged her lightly, tempting her to open her eyes. Becky peeked up, her eyes widening at the steel eagle looking down on them curiously. "I got us a ride," he joked.

Her arms tightened around his neck. "You're fun," she admitted, laughing as she buried her face in his jacket.

Once Becky's eyes weren't on him. Dave's expression changed to confusion. 'Who called the eagle?'

His gaze turned straight for his sister and his master, his brow furrowing when he didn't see them on the beach. He looked out onto the water, his jaw practically hitting the ground when he saw them. They seemed to be _floating_ on the ocean, their hands entwined, kissing softly. His brotherly instincts told him to immediately go break them up, but his heart instantly melted when he saw the pure beauty of the couple. They slowly parted, Balthazar's arms sliding around Isadora, pulling her close to him. Her head on his shoulder, Dave could've sworn he saw her wink at him. Summoning up a little shred of magic -c'mon, he's the Prime Merlinean. Do you really think he'd have to use up all his magic to save someone's life?- he sent a short message to his master.

Balthazar head whipped towards his apprentice, his eyes narrowing. He seemed to spend a few seconds in contemplation, them nodded to the boy. He had to admit, Dave had grown so much more mature in the past few days.

'Take care of her.'

SASASA

Dave and Becky had their breakfast in France. It was absolutely delicious.

Veronica and Jeff hit it off right away. They ate at an Italian restaurant -in since Veronica was just that- and caught a late movie called National Treasure.

"That man doesn't look anything like Balthazar to you?" Veronica asked, pointing vigorously to the poster of Ben Gates in front of the theatre.

"Nicholas Cage? Nah, you're just imagining it," Jeff blew it off, laughing. "Oh, the money we could get if he did..."

_Meanwhile..._

Hands entwined, Balthazar and Isadora entered the castle of King Arthur.

Of course, it wasn't known as such by most. Many of the English in the area believed it was haunted. Balthazar knew it was only the heavy presence of magic it had carried for thousands of years that had them spooked. And perhaps a ghost or two...

It took their combined magic to get only the giant, heavy doors open. Engraved flawlessly with golden depictions of Druids, Christians, and great battles, Izzie could've gazed at the history forever. Unfortunately, her soul mate gently pulled her inside.

Gasping at the magnificent beauty of the entrance hall, Isadora was absolutely entranced with the interior of the ancient castle.

"Many Merlineans come here sporadically, some to gather sorcerers for important battles and some seeking sanctuary. No one ever approached me; as Merlin's apprentice, they knew I had better things to do than to settle silly scuffles. And then after Merlin's death, all knew it was I who had been chosen to find the Prime Merlinean. No one has had any time to socialize since Merlin's death; some had to search in vain for ways to bring Merlin back, some had to go find potential sorcerers before the Morganians did, and some had to fight said Morganians. My point is, all of us were busy. Now that Morgana is dead, many threats will fade into the background. I supposed the old traditions will ensue," he sighed, looking a little reluctantly around him.

"What traditions?" Isadora asked from a blood-red sofa in the adjoining room. She was so surprised; Balthazar hardly ever spoke this much.

Balthazar looked around again the dusty, highly decorated room they had unconsciously walked into as he spoke. With a sigh, he sat down next to the redhead.

"Balls, banquets, basically parties every year. I automatically sent out a signal when Morgana was defeated, to all sorcerers. On December 17th, the day of the birth of Merlin, all will be expected to attend."

"December 17th? That's in three weeks!" she exclaimed, pulling him up with her. "We have to get this place ready! Oh God..."

Balthazar laughed, but before he could reply, Isadora's expression turned from stressed to horrified. He shook her by her shoulders frantically, trying to pull her out of the trance she was in. "Isadora, what is it? Answer me, darling! Please!" he yelled desperately.

Izzie shook her head, frowning. "It's nothing," she soothed, taking his hands off her shoulders and clasping them in her own. "Just a calling. I'll be right back." His expression still worried, she tried again. "I'm just not used to having someone in my head."

"I'm coming with you, then," he said decidedly.

"No, this is something I must do alone," she smiled, pushing him back down onto the sofa. With one last glance at her soul mate, she strode out the room.

Izzie wandered through the endless halls, searching through the also endless rooms. It was very monotonous, until she saw a door that was cracked open. Puzzled, in since all the other doors she had come across had been closed, she quietly slid inside, looking around. As soon as she was inside, the door shut behind her.

After about five minutes of desperately trying to get out, she realized it was practically impossible. The door had both a magical lock and physical one, and from reading part of the Incantus she had not learned anything about locks. She sank against the door for a minute, but then the curious side of her nature got the best of her, and she began to look around. What could be so important in this room that it would need a magical lock?

Neglecting to see what was directly in front of her, the girl began to search the rooms for small objects. A diamond or a emerald maybe? Possibly a trinket of sentimental value to the royal family?

Twenty minutes later, she collapsed onto a kingly looking chair, leaning her head tiredly on the huge wooden table in front of her. Suddenly, it hit her. Why was this table _round_?

Her eyes widening, she leaped up. She sank to the floor, stunned. She had been sitting in the chair of _King Arthur_, in the presence of the infamous _round table_.

"This is amazing," she breathed, standing slowly and approaching the table. She gently ran her fingers over the surface, reveling in the fact that she was touching one of the most ageless artifacts of all time, one that basically began the principle of democracy.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Izzie kept to her study of the table. There was no point in turning around; she knew the voice of her own blood.

"Did you feel any odd connections to the chair you were seated in only moments ago? It was my own seat, after all."

Isadora's eyebrows rose. So it wasn't King Arthur's chair she had sat in, it was seat belonging to the bearded sorcerer constantly by his side, giving him the most sought after advice and counsel of the age.

"Lord Merlin," she greeted, turning to face and bow to her ancestor. After all, spending four years studying had not made her unaware of the customs of this age.

She heard a sigh, then felt a cold touch raising her up. "There is no need of that, nor formalities, kinswoman. You are family, and I have observed this century long enough to know bowing is not needed in your time. Though, it has been a while since someone has bowed to me." He sighed again reminiscently.

The redhead stared at his form in surprise. "Why, Merlin, I thought you were dead. I mean, I knew it was you, but I'd thought you would be a... a"

"Ghost?" he laughed. "You are right. I am quite dead. However, you seem to forget I am also a sorcerer of the 999th degree."

The girl's eyes widened in understanding. "You're the ghost that's been wandering the castle for all this time?"

"God -or whatever you like to call The Holy One- deemed my job incomplete. Now that Morgana is dead, I must find my next purpose. Currently, I take it is aiding you."

"Ah," she realized, seeing the slightly dreamy expression that Merlin possessed when speaking of Morgana, "you loved her. I'm so sorry."

"I did," the sorcerer admitted. "But admissions like that are for times anon. Right now, you are searching for closure."

"I am," Isadora managed, gazing at the 'ghost' in amazement. How had he read her mind like that?

Merlin came forward, clapping his hands on her shoulders. "This is real," he intoned. "You are my descendant, a sorceress, and the soul mate of my most powerful apprentice, Balthazar Blake." He searched her expression for understanding, and though he found it, he also found fear. "The worst thing you can be afraid of is yourself," he advised wisely.

"Thank you," she said graciously. Merlin smiled, then disappeared.

'He'll be back to help train me,' she mused, watching as the door clicked open. 'But my place right now is with Balthazar.'

She traced her path back to her love, giggled as she came upon him. He was lying awkwardly on the sofa, one arm thrown off the side and the other clutching a pillow. He was snoring so loudly that it actually echoed.

Isadora approached him quietly, gazing at his familiar features. Only hours ago, he had been dead, her sobs against his prone body. Before that, a hastily scribbled note telling her that he loved her. Earlier, a desperate kiss on the ledge of a skyscraper. Protecting her from everything and everyone, holding her close, smiling at her... the list goes on.

"I have loved you before, I love you today, and I will love you again," she whispered softly to the sleeping body, repeating a lullaby her mother had once sang to her when she was alive and well. Somehow she knew she had heard it before that, even. She had no idea how many times she had told her love those three words today.

Tomorrow, they would probably be facing mortal danger, dealing with Merlin's ghost, saving the world... but for now, she was content to lay here beside her soul mate, revel in the way his arms felt around her, appreciate the little details of their love. Because, you know, time might matter a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it's the little things that seem to make life so hard, desperate, and sometimes really idiotic, but also so damn unforgettable.

**Amor Vincit Omnia**

**Finis**

SASASA

Well, that's it folks!

I don't own the lullaby; it's the property of Kathleen McGowan, from her wonderful book, The Book of Love. If you get a chance, read it. It's amazing!

Did you **really **think I was going to let go of Dave's power? He might need some more training, but he'll be up and running! (Maybe a little less powerful, but still…)

Amor Vincit Omnia = Love Conquers All (Latin)

Finis = End (also Latin)

I want to thank all my amazing reviewers. You all completely astonish me, willing to encourage me and brighten my day with such lovely reviews, even the criticizing ones! Thank you all so, so, so much! Love you guys!

I hope you enjoyed my story!

*Izzie waves goodbye*

-lalala777-


End file.
